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Practical application of the neuroregenerative properties of ketamine: real world treatment experience

While controversial, ketamine has emerged as an effective treatment for refractory depression. Serial infusions have been performed 3 times per week, but our practical experience has challenged this precept concerning infusion frequency. Depression is associated with neuron loss, reduced synapse num...

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Autor principal: Henderson, Theodore A.
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Medknow Publications & Media Pvt Ltd 2016
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4810965/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27073354
http://dx.doi.org/10.4103/1673-5374.177708
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author Henderson, Theodore A.
author_facet Henderson, Theodore A.
author_sort Henderson, Theodore A.
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description While controversial, ketamine has emerged as an effective treatment for refractory depression. Serial infusions have been performed 3 times per week, but our practical experience has challenged this precept concerning infusion frequency. Depression is associated with neuron loss, reduced synapse numbers, and dearborization of dendrites. Ketamine appears to potently induce mechanisms which reverse these neurodegenerative processes. Ketamine not only blocks the glutamate receptor, it activates eukaroyotic elongation factor 2 (eEF2). This, in turn, activates brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) protein synthesis. This is thought to underlie ketamine's enduring benefits. In addition, ketamine alters glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) phosphorylation, probably responsible for its rapid antidepressant effect. Notably, inhibition of the BDNF receptor does not block the immediate benefits of ketamine, but does prevent the enduring effects. Neuro-Luminance Ketamine Infusion Centers have been treating patients with serial ketamine infusions for over three years. Our methods differ from what is often reported, as we perform infusions only once per week and generally do not perform more than five infusions. Data from 100 patients showed that 80% of the patients responded. The baseline Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology-Self Report (QIDS-SR) score was 17.8 ± 2.8. Responders to ketamine showed a drop in QIDS-SR score of 10.8 ± 3.5, while non-responders showed a 0.8 ± 1.8 change. Moreover, they often had persistent benefits over several months. Recently, it was proposed that psychotomimetic effects are necessary during a ketamine infusion to yield effective antidepressant benefits. Yet, only one patient in our clinic has experienced hallucinations in three years. Nevertheless, 80% of our patients show clinical improvement. Further studies of clinical methods for ketamine infusion therapy are encouraged.
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spelling pubmed-48109652016-04-12 Practical application of the neuroregenerative properties of ketamine: real world treatment experience Henderson, Theodore A. Neural Regen Res Invited Review While controversial, ketamine has emerged as an effective treatment for refractory depression. Serial infusions have been performed 3 times per week, but our practical experience has challenged this precept concerning infusion frequency. Depression is associated with neuron loss, reduced synapse numbers, and dearborization of dendrites. Ketamine appears to potently induce mechanisms which reverse these neurodegenerative processes. Ketamine not only blocks the glutamate receptor, it activates eukaroyotic elongation factor 2 (eEF2). This, in turn, activates brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) protein synthesis. This is thought to underlie ketamine's enduring benefits. In addition, ketamine alters glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) phosphorylation, probably responsible for its rapid antidepressant effect. Notably, inhibition of the BDNF receptor does not block the immediate benefits of ketamine, but does prevent the enduring effects. Neuro-Luminance Ketamine Infusion Centers have been treating patients with serial ketamine infusions for over three years. Our methods differ from what is often reported, as we perform infusions only once per week and generally do not perform more than five infusions. Data from 100 patients showed that 80% of the patients responded. The baseline Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology-Self Report (QIDS-SR) score was 17.8 ± 2.8. Responders to ketamine showed a drop in QIDS-SR score of 10.8 ± 3.5, while non-responders showed a 0.8 ± 1.8 change. Moreover, they often had persistent benefits over several months. Recently, it was proposed that psychotomimetic effects are necessary during a ketamine infusion to yield effective antidepressant benefits. Yet, only one patient in our clinic has experienced hallucinations in three years. Nevertheless, 80% of our patients show clinical improvement. Further studies of clinical methods for ketamine infusion therapy are encouraged. Medknow Publications & Media Pvt Ltd 2016-02 /pmc/articles/PMC4810965/ /pubmed/27073354 http://dx.doi.org/10.4103/1673-5374.177708 Text en Copyright: © Neural Regeneration Research http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0 This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License, which allows others to remix, tweak, and build upon the work non-commercially, as long as the author is credited and the new creations are licensed under the identical terms.
spellingShingle Invited Review
Henderson, Theodore A.
Practical application of the neuroregenerative properties of ketamine: real world treatment experience
title Practical application of the neuroregenerative properties of ketamine: real world treatment experience
title_full Practical application of the neuroregenerative properties of ketamine: real world treatment experience
title_fullStr Practical application of the neuroregenerative properties of ketamine: real world treatment experience
title_full_unstemmed Practical application of the neuroregenerative properties of ketamine: real world treatment experience
title_short Practical application of the neuroregenerative properties of ketamine: real world treatment experience
title_sort practical application of the neuroregenerative properties of ketamine: real world treatment experience
topic Invited Review
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4810965/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27073354
http://dx.doi.org/10.4103/1673-5374.177708
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