The Effect of a High Fructose Diet in an Animal Model of Depression: Insights from the Glutamatergic System

Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide. While many affected patients achieve remission with treatment, a significant minority of patients (up to 30%) display limitied response to monoamine based agents. Research is currently aimed at developing new treatment options focused on the glutamatergic system. Glutamatergic agents show efficacy as antidepressants. Indeed, recently, the NMDA receptor antagonist esketamine was approved for use in depressed populations, unresponsive to other antidepressant classes. Esketamine however faces challenges in clinical practice including potential for misuse. Consequently, research continues to focus on the glutamatergic system to identify other agents with potential antidepressant activity.