Emerging Biomarkers of Response to Ketamine: Opportunities and Challenges-View Presentation

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The talk by Dr. Vandervoort focused on anhedonia, a symptom of depression characterized by a lack of interest or pleasure in activities. It was mentioned that anhedonia not only affects patients' well-being but also poses challenges for their treatment and recovery. Conventional antidepressants were found to have limited effectiveness in addressing anhedonia, and alternative treatment options such as ketamine were discussed. Ketamine has shown promising results in reducing anhedonia in patients with treatment-resistant depression and major depressive disorder. The talk also highlighted the role of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway in ketamine's anti-anhedonic effects. Ketamine has been found to increase mTOR protein expression, leading to synaptic plasticity and restoration of dysfunctional brain circuits associated with anhedonia and depression.<br /><br />Additionally, a study was mentioned that aimed to investigate the correlation between the change in anhedonia and depression scores and the change in peripheral immune cell mTOR protein expression after ketamine infusions. The results suggested that ketamine-induced mTOR engagement in immune cells may be a key factor in its anti-anhedonic effects. This finding opens up avenues for further research on the role of the immune system and mTOR pathway in targeting anhedonia as a symptom of depression. Overall, the talk emphasized the potential of ketamine as a treatment for anhedonia and the importance of understanding its mechanisms of action.

Keywords

anhedonia

depression

conventional antidepressants

ketamine

treatment-resistant depression

mTOR pathway

synaptic plasticity

dysfunctional brain circuits

immune cells

ketamine infusions

anti-anhedonic effects

immune system

mechanisms of action