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Glossary Articles

Latest articles, insights, and updates from the blog.

145 articles

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Glossary1 min read

Compounding Pharmacy: Custom Ketamine Formulations Explained

How compounding pharmacies prepare ketamine: troches, lozenges, nasal sprays, 503A vs 503B oversight, FDA limits, and what to ask before ordering.

Glossary1 min read

Glutamatergic System: The Excitatory Signaling Network Behind Ketamine's Effects

An overview of the glutamatergic system — the brain's primary excitatory neurotransmitter network — and its central role in how ketamine produces rapid antidepressant effects.

Glossary1 min read

mTOR Pathway: Ketamine's Role in Protein Synthesis and Synaptic Growth

A definition of the mTOR (mechanistic target of rapamycin) signaling pathway and its critical role in how ketamine promotes rapid synaptogenesis and antidepressant effects.

Glossary1 min read

Default Mode Network: How Ketamine Disrupts Depressive Thought Patterns

The default mode network (DMN) drives rumination in depression. Learn how ketamine disrupts DMN connectivity and why that matters for treatment.

Glossary1 min read

AMPA Receptor: Its Role in Ketamine's Antidepressant Effect

A glossary entry on the AMPA receptor, explaining what it is, how it functions, and why its activation is essential to ketamine's rapid antidepressant mechanism.

Glossary1 min read

Arketamine (R-Ketamine): The Promising Enantiomer Under Investigation

Learn about arketamine (R-ketamine), the less-studied enantiomer of ketamine showing promise as a next-generation antidepressant with fewer side effects.

Glossary1 min read

Bioavailability: Understanding Ketamine Absorption by Route

Bioavailability shows how much ketamine actually reaches the bloodstream. See how it ranges from 100% IV to 17-24% oral and what that means for dosing.

Glossary1 min read

Synaptogenesis: How Ketamine Promotes New Synaptic Connections

Synaptogenesis is the formation of new synapses. Learn how ketamine triggers rapid synapse growth through NMDA, BDNF, and mTOR signaling.

Glossary1 min read

BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor): Definition and Role in Ketamine Therapy

Learn what BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor) is, how it supports brain health, and why it is central to ketamine's rapid antidepressant mechanism.

Glossary1 min read

Glutamate: The Excitatory Neurotransmitter Central to Ketamine's Action

Glutamate, the brain's excitatory neurotransmitter, and why its post-NMDA-blockade surge is central to how ketamine produces rapid antidepressant effects.

Glossary1 min read

Neuroplasticity

What neuroplasticity means, how the brain rewires itself, and why neuroplasticity is central to understanding ketamine's rapid antidepressant effects.

Glossary1 min read

Dissociation

What dissociation means in the context of ketamine therapy — its clinical definition, how it manifests during treatment, and its potential relationship to therapeutic outcomes.