Researchers from Yale University have led a research that suggests that Ketamine may prove beneficial to curb the problem of chronic overeating linked to depression and severe stress, Northern Californian reports.
Ketamine is a type of anesthetic generally used before a medical or dental procedure.
The research paper was published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology.
The researchers looked at the link between overeating and depression and also whether Ketamine can reduce overeating, generally considered as a symptom or a cause of depression.
The researchers came to know that ketamine activates mTORC pathway, which manages the protein synthesis in forming synaptic connections in the brain that is affected by both stress and depression.
According to Utah People's Post, the Yale team found that Ketamine is responsible with "regulating the synthesis of protein present in creation of synaptic connections found in the brain affected by both stress and depression."
Earlier studies had revealed that ketamine can decrease the symptoms of chronic depression among those resistant to antidepressant drugs.
For the study, the researchers assessed the link between how diet influences behavior in rats, which were fed six times the normal amount of fat. After four months, the rats started showing signs of depression and anxiety.
The researchers found that a small amount of ketamine reversed the symptoms and also the disruption in mTORC signaling pathways.
"The effects of a high-fat diet overlap with those of chronic stress and could also be a contributing factor in depression as well as metabolic disorders such as Type 2 diabetes", said Prof. Ronald Duman from Yale University.
The study researchers said that more research on effects of ketamine on metabolism is required.
