AstraZeneca and Naurex say their new compounds deliver the rapid benefits of ketamine without the disturbing side effects because they act differently on the NMDAreceptor.
Recently there has been a resurgence of interest in ketamine because of studies showing that at much lower doses than required for anesthesia, it appears to be a rapid and powerful antidepressant agent, presumably because it blocks an important type of receptor in the brain, known as the NMDAreceptor.