Low doses of ketamine, a medication used as an anesthetic in humans and animals, relieves depression in just two hours and the effect may last as long as a week, new research shows. Ketamine is also sometimes abused as a "club drug." Known in slang as "special K," it can cause hallucinations and euphoria in higher doses.
By contrast, current antidepressants, including the popular selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) -- such as Prozac and Paxil -- can take weeks or months to kick in. Exactly how the anesthetic relieves depression is not fully understood, but animal studies have suggested that blocking a brain chemical receptor called the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor can reduce depression-like behaviors. Ketamine blocks the NMDA receptor. In its simplest terms, ketamine hits the cascade of brain chemicals that causes depression closer to home than available antidepressants. "There is no treatment for depression that works this rapidly and dramatically with a single administration", researcher says.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,207346,00.html
Sem comentários:
Enviar um comentário