Macroeconomics

Neuroscience

Biology

Depression (economics)

Psychiatry

Economics

Anxiety

Antidepressant

Drug

Major depressive disorder

Drug discovery

Neuropsychiatry

Pharmaceutical sciences

Bioinformatics

Psychology

Pharmacology

Ketamine

Mood

Medicine

Drug Discovery Today

Recent research demonstrating that the glutamatergic modulator ketamine has rapid, robust, and sustained antidepressant effects has been a turning point in drug discovery for depression. The recent FDA approval of esketamine for adults with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder (MDD) has further underscored the relevance of this agent in spurring investigation into novel and mechanistically distinct agents for use in depression. Over the past two decades, ketamine research has ushered in a new wave of studies seeking to not only identify its mechanism of action but also to examine the antidepressant potential of novel or repurposed agents. This article reviews the approaches that have proven particularly fruitful for the field of neuropsychiatry.

The influence of ketamine on drug discovery in depression