Ketamine & Esketamine: A New Path for Depression Care with Dr. John Krystal

Listen to Dr. Allie Sharma in conversation with Dr. John Krystal, a psychiatrist and expert on the neurobiology and treatment of psychiatric disorders who is best known for leading the discovery of the rapid antidepressant effects of ketamine in depressed patients, as they speak about the connection between depression and ketamine, the origin story of how anti-depressant effects of ketamine were discovered, root causes of depression, how ketamine and esketamine work in the brain, and more.

Dr. Krystal’s work links psychopharmacology, neuroimaging, molecular genetics, and computational neuroscience to study the neurobiology and treatment of disorders including alcohol use disorder, depression, PTSD, and schizophrenia. Within Yale, he chairs the Department of Psychiatry, serves as Chief of Psychiatry for the Yale-New Haven Health System, co-leads the Yale Center for Clinical Investigation (CTSA), and co-directs the NIAAA Center for the Translational Neuroscience of Alcohol.

In addition to his roles at Yale, he serves as editor of Biological Psychiatry, Vice-President of the Scientific Council for the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, as a Scientific Advisory Board member of Aligning Research to Impact Autism, and in numerous other advisory capacities for government agencies, academia initiatives, private foundations, and pharmaceutical/biotechnology companies. He also co-founded Freedom Biosciences, a company devoted to addressing the limitations of current rapid-acting antidepressants.

Dr. Krystal previously co-chaired (2018-2024) the Forum on Neuroscience and Nervous System Disorders of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. He also served on the Department of Defense Psychological Health Advisory Committee, the National Advisory Councils for the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and the NIMH Board of Scientific Counselors (chair, 2005-2007). He has led the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (president, 2012), and International College of Neuropsychophamacology (president, 2016-2018).

Connect with Dr. Allie Sharma

• Instagram @alliesharmamd
• Facebook @dralliesharma
• Website: https://www.sonalisharmamd.com/

Connect with Dr. John Krystal

• Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-krystal-1419aa9
• Yale: https://medicine.yale.edu/profile/john-krystal/

Connect with Being Health

• Instagram @beinghealthcare

Website:

https://www.beinghealth.co/

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MEDIA & PRESS

• For media or press inquiries, contact [email protected].

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EPISODE CREDITS

• Produced by Andrea Castagno and Jack Inslee
• Mixed by Jack Inslee

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DISCLAIMER

• Please note that the contents of the Alluminate Podcast are for informational purposes only.  The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your mental health professional or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding your condition. Never disregard professional advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on Alluminate.
• If you are in crisis or you think you may have an emergency, call your doctor, call or text 988 or call 911 immediately.
• If you’re having suicidal thoughts, call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to talk to a skilled, trained counselor at a crisis center in your area at any time (National Suicide Prevention Lifeline).
• If you are located outside the United States, call your local emergency line immediately.
• The views and opinions expressed by guests of the podcast are those of each individual guest and do not reflect the views and opinions of Dr. Allie Sharma and do not constitute an endorsement of such views and opinions.