DBSA NCA Speaker Series: Dr. Mark Kvarta on Ketamine and HNK: The Next Generation of Antidepressants

Описание: In the past two decades, ketamine has represented a revolutionary breakthrough in psychiatry for its ability to alleviate depression symptoms rapidly (within hours) for many individuals for whom traditional antidepressants have not been effective. A form of ketamine was approved for treatment in 2019—a major milestone for scientists’ efforts to develop new treatments for depression symptoms and to understand depression’s underlying biology. One related compound that shows promise is (2R, 6R)-Hydroxynorketamine (HNK), which is being tested in treatment-resistant depression at the National Institutes of Health. This talk will provide an overview of the forefront of therapeutic development in treatment-resistant depression, highlight our ongoing HNK clinical trial, and discuss emerging strategies for clinicians and individuals with mood disorders.

Dr. Mark Kvarta graduated Magna Cum Laude from Cornell University and earned his M.D. and Ph.D. in Neuroscience at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM). He completed residency in psychiatry at the University of Maryland Medical Center and Sheppard and Enoch Pratt Hospital Psychiatry Residency Program in 2021, before joining the faculty and starting a lab within the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center (MPRC) Neuroimaging Research Program focusing on biomarkers of stress and depression across diagnoses. He joined the National Institute of Mental Health in 2023 as a Staff Clinician, where he is Medical Director for the Outpatient Mood Disorders Clinic and Chief of Stress Pathophysiology Research in the Experimental Therapeutics and Pathophysiology Branch.