Ketamine

Major depression is one of the most common mental disorders in the U.S. Approximately 7% (17.3 million) of American adults had at least one major depressive episode in 2017. Roughly 10 percent of the U.S. population is afflicted with major depressive disorder at any… Read More

For the nearly 30 percent of major depressive disorder patients who are resistant to treatment, ketamine provides some amount of normalcy, but it requires frequent treatment and can have side effects. Vanderbilt researchers now show in proof-of-concept experiments that it may be possible to extend ketamine’s antidepressant effect from about a week to up to two months. Read More

Lisa Monteggia, Barlow Family Director of the Vanderbilt Brain Institute and professor of pharmacology, and Ege Kavalali, chair of the Department of Pharmacology and William Stokes Professor of Experimental Therapeutics, have been awarded the first prize by the Anna-Monika Foundation. Read More

THE IDEA Vanderbilt researchers found that ketamine’s rapid antidepressant action is due to specific synaptic effects. This represents a new target for drug development that could fill a major gap in care for depression. Ege Kavalali (Vanderbilt University) Lisa Monteggia (John Russell/Vanderbilt University) The research was led by… Read More

THE IDEA Ketamine has been gaining interest over the past several years as a fast-acting antidepressant. Past research shows that ketamine has antidepressant effects, especially for those who have treatment-resistant depression. Lisa Monteggia, professor of pharmacology and director of the Vanderbilt Brain Institute, furthered her prolific research… Read More