Possible antidepressive effects of ketamine in lactating rats: implications on the PROLE

Abstract

Depression is one of the most common and mentally incapacitating diseases in the world. Postpartum depression is a subtype of depression that affects 1 in 7 women worldwide. It is often defined as an episode of major depressive disorder that occurs in the period after birth. The treatment for this type of depression is the combination of psychotherapies and pharmacological treatment. For pharmacological treatment, it is necessary to consider the consequences that this treatment may have on the nursing mother and the progeny, since the mother-child bond is fundamental for the general development of the progeny and, therefore, changes in the maternal behavior can generate permanent disturbances in the child. Ketamine has been widely studied for the use as an antidepressant because of its mixed mechanism of action. Taking into account that there is a trend towards increased clinical use of ketamine and that there is little information on the optimal dose and route of administration for its use as an antidepressant, as well as the safety and efficacy of a treatment during the postnatal period, further studies on the use of this drug are necessary in order to contribute to its safer clinical use. Thus, the objective of this project is to study the implications of the maternal exposure to ketamine on its progeny. For this purpose, behavioral and neurochemical studies will be performed from birth to adulthood. (AU)