Figure 3.
Examples of multiple paths through which new treatments may emerge in psychiatry. The archetypal rapid-acting antidepressant, the NMDA glutamate receptor (NMDA-R) antagonist ketamine, was first identified as a treatment for depression as a consequence of a clinical observation. The ability of D-cycloserine (DCS) to augment the efficacy of behavioral therapy for anxiety disorders developed from an animal model where this drug promoted fear extinction. Deep brain stimulation treatment for depression was inspired by neuroimaging studies describing dysfunction of the subgenual prefrontal cortex in depressed patients.