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  • Perspective
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Rapid antidepressant effects: moving right along

Molecular Psychiatry volume 18, pages 856–863 (2013)Cite this article

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Abstract

Available treatments for depression have significant limitations, including low response rates and substantial lag times for response. Reports of rapid antidepressant effects of a number of compounds, including the glutamate N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist ketamine, have spurred renewed translational neuroscience efforts aimed at elucidating the molecular and cellular mechanisms of action that result in rapid therapeutic response. This perspective provides an overview of recent advances utilizing compounds with rapid-acting antidepressant effects, discusses potential mechanism of action and provides a framework for future research directions aimed at developing safe, efficacious antidepressants that achieve satisfactory remission not only by working rapidly but also by providing a sustained response.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Medical Campus, Baltimore, MD, USA

    K Martinowich & D V Jimenez

  2. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

    K Martinowich

  3. Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

    K Martinowich

  4. Experimental Therapeutics and Pathophysiology Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

    C A Zarate Jr

  5. Global Therapeutic Area Head, Neuroscience, Janssen Research and Development, Titusville, NJ, USA

    H K Manji

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  1. K Martinowich
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  2. D V Jimenez
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  3. C A Zarate Jr
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  4. H K Manji
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to H K Manji.

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Competing interests

KM and DVJ are currently full-time employees of the Lieber Institute for Brain Development, CAZ is currently a full-time employee of the intramural program of the National Institute of Mental Health and HKM is currently a full-time employee of Janssen Research and Development, LLC. We declare that, except for income received from their primary employers, no financial support or compensation has been received from any individual or corporate entity for research or professional service and there are no real or perceived financial holdings that could be perceived as constituting a potential conflict of interest. CAZ and HKM are listed as co-inventors on a patent application for the use of ketamine in major depression. CAZ and HKM have assigned their rights on the patent to the US government but may share a percentage of any royalties that may be received by the government. HKM, however, will waive any such royalties that may be received in relation to this patent application.

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Martinowich, K., Jimenez, D., Zarate, C. et al. Rapid antidepressant effects: moving right along. Mol Psychiatry 18, 856–863 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/mp.2013.55

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