3 ms·
"Although depression is not well understood, there are some theories/interpretations of the data. One of which is the differences of mechanism behind 5-HT_1A an
by pmoriarty 5y ago
"Although depression is not well understood, there are some theories/interpretations of the data. One of which is the differences of mechanism behind 5-HT_1A and 5-HT_2A: SSRIs are (stronger) antagonists for 5-HT_1A which is theorised to increase "passive coping". Psychadelics are (stronger) antagonists for 5-HT_2A which is theorised to increase "active coping"."
Ketamine, a psychedelic which has proven to be a very effective treatment for depression, actually does not act on the serotonin pathway at all, but instead is an NMDA receptor antagonist.
- operator-name 5y agoYes, this is the other competing theory - NMDA is linked to neural plasticity and another theory as to the action mechanism of SSRIs. If I recall one issue with the Seratonin SSRIs theory is the time lag between the detectable seratonin between synapses and subjective effect. It's not accurate to say Ketemene (S-Ketemine) has no action on the Seratonin pathway, I believe there was a recent study that found a possible action via the 5-HT_1B receptor.
- pmoriarty 5y agoThere's also ibogaine and salvia divinorum -- psychedelics which act on opioid receptors.