On Sex Differences in the Effects of Rapid-Acting Antidepressants

On Sex Differences in the Effects of Rapid-Acting Antidepressants

Presenter(s)

Patrick Robert Flaherty

Description

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is an extremely debilitating sex-related disorder that currently affects over 300 million people worldwide. Women are more vulnerable to the precipitation of depressive symptoms and they are more likely to suffer from MDD as compared to men. Despite the pronounced sex differences in the manifestation of MDD and responsiveness of patients to drug treatment, clinical andpreclinical research on the neurobiological basis of this disorder and antidepressant drug development has focused on the male sex. Conventional antidepressant drug therapies are often ineffective and typically require weeks of chronic treatment to induce alleviation of depressive symptoms in MDD patients. Recently, the discovery of the rapid-acting antidepressant properties of the non-competitive N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist ketamine revolutionized the field of antidepressant drug discovery. In the context of the current thesis we conducted a literature review on the current clinical and preclinical evidence highlighting the important role that sex may play in response to ketamine, as well as to other rapid-acting antidepressants.

Publication Date

4-22-2021

Project Designation

Honors Thesis

Primary Advisor

Pothitos Pitychoutis

Primary Advisor's Department

Biology

Keywords

Stander Symposium project, College of Arts and Sciences

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

Good Health and Well-Being; Quality Education

On Sex Differences in the Effects of Rapid-Acting Antidepressants

Share

COinS