Is there a risk of addiction to ketamine during the treatment of depression? A systematic review of available literature.

Background: Ketamine has demonstrated both rapid and sustained efficacy in treating depression, especially in treatment-resistant cases. However, concerns regarding the addictive potential of ketamine during long-term depression treatment persist among clinicians.

Aim: This review aimed to summarise the evidence on addiction phenomena associated with ketamine treatment of depression.

Treatment for Depression in Patients Who Have Suffered from Early Life Stress.

Background: People with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) are far more likely to suffer from Early Life Stress (ELS) than the average population. This typically increases severity of symptoms, and often leads to treatment resistance. This study set out to examine which treatments work best to treat depression in patients who have suffered from ELS, as well as possible interactions between ELS and antidepressant effects in therapies.

Effect of childhood emotional abuse on depression and anxiety in adulthood is partially mediated by neuroticism: Evidence from a large online sample.

Childhood trauma is widely recognized as a potential risk factor for psychiatric illness in adulthood, yet the precise mechanisms underlying this relationship remain incompletely understood. One proposed mechanism involves the impact of childhood trauma on personality development, particularly in relation to neuroticism, which may subsequently heighten susceptibility to psychiatric disorders. In this study, we aimed to investigate this hypothesis through an online survey involving 1116 participants (232 male, 21 %).

A New Intervention for Implementation of Pharmacogenetics in Psychiatry: A Description of the PSY-PGx Clinical Study.

Pharmacological treatment for psychiatric disorders has shown to only be effective in about one-third of patients, as it is associated with frequent treatment failure, often because of side effects, and a long process of trial-and-error pharmacotherapy until an effective and tolerable treatment is found. This notion emphasizes the urgency for a personalized medicine approach in psychiatry. This prospective patient- and rater-blinded, randomized, controlled study will investigate the effect of dose-adjustment of antidepressants and or antipsychotics and according to the latest state-of-the-art international dosing recommendations for and metabolizer status in patients with mood, anxiety, and psychotic disorders.

Ketamine cystitis following ketamine therapy for treatment-resistant depression - case report.

Background: Ketamine is a novel and exciting putative antidepressant medication for patients with treatment-resistant depression. A complication commonly seen in frequent and heavy recreational use of ketamine is ulcerative cystitis, which presents with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and upper renal tract damage and can be seen in over 25% of regular users. Although Ketamine-induced cystitis (KIC) is a recognised complication in recreational use of ketamine, its occurrence in therapeutic use of ketamine in depression has so far not been reported.

Biological rhythms are correlated with Na, K-ATPase and oxidative stress biomarkers: A translational study on bipolar disorder.

Background: Bipolar disorder (BD) is a chronic, severe, and multifactorial psychiatric disorder. Although biological rhythms alterations, sodium potassium pump (Na, K-ATPase) changes, and oxidative stress appear to play a critical role in the etiology and pathophysiology of BD, the inter-connection between them has not been described. Therefore this study evaluated the association between biological rhythms, Na, K-ATPase, and oxidative stress parameters in BD patients and the preclinical paradoxical sleep deprivation model (PSD).

A leaky umbrella has little value: evidence clearly indicates the serotonin system is implicated in depression.

A recent “umbrella” review examined various biomarkers relating to the serotonin system, and concluded there was no consistent evidence implicating serotonin in the pathophysiology of depression. We present reasons for why this conclusion is overstated, including methodological weaknesses in the review process, selective reporting of data, over-simplification, and errors in the interpretation of neuropsychopharmacological findings. We use the examples of tryptophan depletion and serotonergic molecular imaging, the two research areas most relevant to the investigation of serotonin, to illustrate this.

Early life stress, depression and epigenetics.

Different factors are essential in increasing the vulnerability to psychiatric disorders, such as genetics. Among these factors, early life stress (ELS), including sexual, physical, emotional abuse, and emotional and physical neglect, enhances the odds of having menial conditions throughout life. Exhaustive research has shown that ELS leads to physiological changes, such as alteration in the HPA axis.

Early Clinical Experiences of Esketamine Nasal Spray in the UK in Adults with Treatment-Resistant Major Depressive Disorder: Advisory Panel Recommendations.

Purpose: Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is associated with profound morbidity for patients, placing a significant burden on those affected, the health service and wider society. Despite this, TRD remains chronically underserved in terms of viable treatment options. To address this gap, an advisory panel of psychiatrists and clinical researchers with experience in managing TRD convened to develop best practice statements on the use of esketamine nasal spray, one of the first TRD treatments to be licensed in 30 years.

Identifying the neuropsychiatric health effects of low-dose lithium interventions: A systematic review.

Background: Lithium is widely evidenced for its neuropsychiatric benefits. Advantages of 'sub-therapeutic' doses are increasingly being reported, which is apposite given enduring concerns around adverse effects of 'therapeutic' doses. We aimed to synthesise all available evidence from interventional studies investigating low-dose lithium (LDL) across neuropsychiatric outcomes.

Differential Diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder and Bipolar Disorder: Genetic and Hormonal Assessment and the Influence of Early-Life Stress.

Few studies have assessed biomarkers for the differentiation of major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD). However, some elements of depression such as hormones and receptors of the renin-angiotensin-adrenal system (RAAS), the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, and history of early-life stress (ELS) could be considered for differential diagnosis. Therefore, this study aimed to assess aldosterone and cortisol levels, MR and GR gene polymorphisms, and ELS as potential biomarkers for differentiating MDD and BD.

Increased immuno-inflammatory mediators in women with post-traumatic stress disorder after sexual assault: 1-Year follow-up.

Background: Sexual violence is a traumatic event that can trigger post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and generate biological responses to stress characterized by inhibiting the hypothalamic-pituitary axis (HPA), altering immune activity, and changing the structure and function of the brain. PTSD is associated with increased levels of inflammatory markers. This study aimed to measure differences in inflammatory markers and HPA hormone levels between women with PTSD due to sexual violence and controls at baseline and after 1-year follow-up.

Reply to Skokou, M. Comment on "Keeler et al. Ketamine as a Treatment for Anorexia Nervosa: A Narrative Review. 2021, , 4158".

In response to our narrative review, which suggested the use of the glutamatergic n-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist ketamine as a potential treatment for anorexia nervosa (AN) [...

Ketamine as a Treatment for Anorexia Nervosa: A Narrative Review.

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a highly complex disorder to treat, especially in severe and enduring cases. Whilst the precise aetiology of the disorder is uncertain, malnutrition and weight loss can contribute to reductions in grey and white matter of the brain, impairments in neuroplasticity and neurogenesis and difficulties with cognitive flexibility, memory and learning. Depression is highly comorbid in AN and may be a barrier to recovery.

Predictive value of cardiometabolic biomarkers and depressive symptoms for symptom severity and quality of life in patients with psychotic disorders.

Background: Patients with psychotic disorders show higher rates of the metabolic syndrome (MS) between the cluster of severe mental illnesses. Depressive symptoms can worsen outcomes of individuals with psychotic disorders. However, research on the association between MS and depression in psychotic disorders and their relevance to outcomes is lacking.

Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal axis dysfunction by early life stress.

Evidence indicates that early life stress (ELS) may act as a risk factor for the development and maintenance of adulthood severe mental health disorders due to persistent dysregulation within the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. It is now broadly accepted that psychological stress may change the internal homeostatic state of an individual. The dysregulation seems to be a byproduct of changes noted in the HPA axis hormone's ability to bind to the glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptors, crucial in maintaining homeostasis.

Cortical thickness and subcortical volume abnormalities in male crack-cocaine users.

Crack-cocaine offers a higher risk of abuse than intranasal and intravenous use of cocaine. Yet, current treatments remain disappointing and our understanding of the mechanism of crack-cocaine neurotoxicity is still incomplete. Magnetic resonance images studies on brain changes of crack-cocaine addicts show divergent data.

Neuroendocrine Stress System in Bipolar Disorder.

Hormones have a crucial part in the progress and manifestation of a wide variety of different behaviors. The main influence of the neuroendocrine system on behavior is its action on the neurobiology of neuropsychiatric disorders and its relationship with the pharmacodynamics of medicines. Of all the neuroendocrine axes, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis has been the most extensively studied.

New Pharmacological Interventions in Bipolar Disorder.

The biological bases of bipolar disorder include aspects related, among others, to neurohormonal pathways, neurotransmission, signal transduction, regulation of gene expression, oxidative stress, neuroplasticity, and changes in the immune system. There is still a gap in understanding its complex neurobiology and, consequently, developing new treatments. Multiple factors probably interact in this complex equation of pathophysiology of bipolar disorder, such as genetic, biochemical, psychosocial, and environmental stress events, correlating with the development and severity of the bipolar disorder.