The team discovered that ketamine acts on a pathway that rapidly forms new synaptic connections between neurons -- a process called "synaptogenesis."
"The pathway is the story. Understanding the mechanism underlying the antidepressant effect of ketamine will allow us to attack the problem at a variety of possible sites within that pathway," Aghajanian said.
The team identified a critical point in the pathway, the enzyme mTOR, which controls protein synthesis required for new synaptic connections. There are already promising leads on ways to sustain the initial rapid effect of ketamine by intervening at specific downstream targets.
via sciencedaily.com
No comments:
Post a Comment