Stanford researchers are figuring out how ketamine fights depression — and why the drug has been called 'the most important discovery in half a century'

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• A new study from Stanford sheds light on how ketamine works in the brain to alleviate depression.
• The research suggests that the drug not only impacts a network of switches called the glutamate system, but also engages the opioid system — the same one that's activated by opioid painkillers.
• The finding could have big implications for plans to turn ketamine into the next blockbuster antidepressant.

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Ketamine's unique ability to staunch the symptoms of depression has earned it a new reputation in recent months. No longer seen solely as an illicit party drug, the compound is the focus of research into a novel class of antidepressants that could yield the first new depression drug in more than 30 years.

But the science of how ketamine stonewalls depression symptoms has remained murky. For years, researchers believed it worked by acting on a network of brain receptors called the glutamate system, which other popular antidepressants ignore. But a new study suggests that ketamine also influences the brain's opioid network — the same one engaged by opioid painkillers.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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