Scientists find ketamine has strong antidepressant effect

According to a report published by Yale University, a group of researchers found that ketamine, an anesthetic also known as ketamine, can be used to treat patients suffering from chronic depression.

This substance - widely used for animal and human procedures - is also quite famous for gaining a large following in Europe in recent years, even surpassing the number of cocaine users in some countries.

Drugs and depression

However, according to the publication, the researchers found that ketamine may help regenerate the synaptic connections between brain cells that have been damaged by depression, acting in a completely different way from the conventional drugs used to treat this disorder. The effect of ketamine, rather than taking weeks to begin to notice, occurs almost immediately after the drug is given.

However, despite the super-fast effect, the action of the substance is short-term - lasting only seven to ten days - and offers the risk that some patients abuse its use. So, as the researchers explained, they are trying to develop ketamine-like drugs that offer action as fast as ketamine but without the same risks of consumption.

Sources: Health on the Move, Science, BBC and THE VERGE