AMPA receptors and ketamine: how they shape antidepressant responses in people
Official title: AMPA Receptor Components of the Antidepressant Response to Ketamine in Humans
Funded at Yale University · NIH-11326712 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study tests whether the AMPA receptor pathway is essential for ketamine’s antidepressant effects in people with treatment-resistant depression.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Yale University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New Haven, United States) |
| Project start | July 3, 2023 |
| Project end | April 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $834,244 |
| NIH project number | 5R01MH129371-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11326712 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with treatment-resistant depression who are candidates for ketamine treatment.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without TRD or who do not meet safety criteria for ketamine or perampanel may not benefit.
What this research studies
This project will investigate how ketamine changes brain activity in people with treatment-resistant depression and whether blocking AMPA receptors alters those effects. Researchers will use a perampanel pretreatment to see if it prevents ketamine’s symptom relief, changes in subcallosal cortex connectivity, and brain metabolism related to mood improvement. The study focuses on translating findings from animal work to humans to understand a key mechanism of ketamine’s action. It involves a small group of TRD patients who will receive ketamine with and without AMPA receptor blockade to compare outcomes. The results could clarify a step in the sequence from ketamine exposure to mood improvement and guide safer, more effective treatments.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could clarify how AMPA receptors contribute to ketamine’s antidepressant effects and inform the development of targeted, faster-acting treatments for TRD.
How similar studies have gone: Animal studies support AMPA involvement in ketamine’s effects; human data are limited but growing.
Where this research is happening
-
Yale University
New Haven, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Driesen, Naomi R — Yale University
- Study coordinator: Driesen, Naomi R
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.