Weill Cornell Medicine investigators have “reverse engineered” ketamine’s antidepressant effects to identify potential new strategies for treating depression.

While there are many effective treatments available for depression, not all patients respond to them. About one-third of patients must try multiple medications before eventually finding relief, and another third have treatment-resistant depression. An anesthetic called ketamine can provide immediate relief to some patients with treatment-resistant depression, but the effects are often short-lived. Ketamine also has serious side effects for some patients, including changes in heart rate or blood pressure, feelings of being disconnected from one’s thoughts or self and addiction.

A new study led by researchers at NYU School of Global Public Health finds that sickle cell disease care is unevenly distributed across regions in New York State. New York City has the largest proportion of hospitalizations and Long Island has the highest charges for care, but hospital stays are longer in other areas with less access to specialized care, according to the study published in JAMA Network Open.