Fri. Mar 29, 2024 1:15 PM - 3:15 PM [Room 303] Conference Center 303 (3F)

Organizer: Atsushi Kasai (Grad. Sch. Pharm., Osaka Univ.), Daisuke Ibi (Dept. Chem. Pharmacol., Meijo Univ.)

The primary treatment for depression is grounded in the monoamine hypothesis, which led to the development of antidepressants. These marketed antidepressants have demonstrated efficacy. However, they present several challenges: there is a notable delay before their manifest, they have a high relapse rate, and about 30% of depressed patients do not respond to them, leading to inconsistent patient satisfaction. Recent reports have highlighted the potential of the dissociative anesthetic ketamine and the hallucinogen psilocybin for treating treatment-resistant depression. Especially in Europe and the US, there are many attempts at clinical applications for these novel antidepressants. Yet, the exact neural mechanisms driving their therapeutic effects are still largely unexplained. In this symposium, we will delve into the mechanisms behind antidepressants' efficacy, present the latest research on novel drug development, and discuss therapeutic strategies for depression. Additionally, we aim to discuss future prospects and challenges in the continued evolution and development of antidepressants.