Researchers uncovered insights that may help explain how rapid-acting antidepressants, such as ketamine and psychedelics, can reduce symptoms in difficult-to-treat depression. The findings may also help identify patients who are most likely to benefit from these treatments.
The study, co-led by Gregory Jones, M.D., assistant professor of Psychiatry, showed that these therapies work by changing communication signals between the immune system and the brain, suggesting that they share certain neuroimmune pathways, even though they act on different receptors in the brain.
“Ketamine and psychedelics affect the brain in different ways subjectively, but our findings suggest that they eventually end up in some of the same neuroimmune pathways,” Jones said. “By studying blood signals and brain activity together, researchers can better understand how the body and brain may work in tandem to respond to antidepressants. We hope to be able to use these findings to better treat patients with depression, which is not uncommon in those facing a cancer diagnosis.”