Carlos Zarate
Chief, Section on Neurobiology and Treatment of Mood Disorders
Data updated
Research Footprint
Carlos Zarate appears in 33 tracked papers (2010–2024), most studied alongside Ketamine, Placebo and Esketamine, across Depressive Disorders, Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Bipolar Disorder.
Most-cited paper: NMDAR inhibition-independent antidepressant actions of ketamine metabolites (1590 citations).
Frequent co-authors: Evan Ballard, David Luckenbaugh and Mark John Niciu.
Publication Landscape
How the 33 papers Blossom tracks for Carlos Zarate line up by year, topic, and journal. These are the psychedelic-relevant papers in Blossom's records as of July 2026, not a complete bibliography.
How has Carlos Zarate's publishing grown?
SourcedTracked papers by publication year. Click a year for the running total.
Don't read as total output: only the 33 of 33 tracked papers with a recorded publication date are counted, and these are the psychedelic-relevant papers Blossom tracks, not a complete bibliography. The current year is still filling in.
What does Carlos Zarate publish on?
SourcedTracked papers per topic. Orange marks the largest research focus.
Don't read shares as adding to 100%: a paper tagged with several topics counts once per topic. These are the psychedelic-relevant papers Blossom tracks, not a complete bibliography.
Where does Carlos Zarate publish?
SourcedTracked papers per journal. Orange marks the most-used journal.
Counts the journal recorded on each tracked paper; preprints and papers with no journal on file are not shown. These are the psychedelic-relevant papers Blossom tracks, not a complete bibliography.
Background & Research
Carlos A. Zarate, M.D., is a senior clinical researcher who leads work on the neurobiology and treatment of mood disorders, with a long-standing appointment in the intramural research programme at the National Institute of Mental Health. He has designed and led randomized clinical trials of NMDA‑receptor antagonists and other rapid‑acting antidepressant agents in treatment‑resistant major depressive disorder and bipolar depression, and has published influential studies comparing ketamine to established interventions and characterising clinical outcomes such as antisuicidal response, dissociation, sleep effects and fatigue.
Zarate's research spans translational pharmacology, early‑phase human experimental medicine (including pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics studies such as investigations of (2R,6R)‑hydroxynorketamine), biomarker and neuroimaging work, and methodological contributions to measuring suicidal ideation and rapid treatment response in trials. His publications and reviews have helped shape current understanding of how NMDA‑receptor modulation and downstream neuroplasticity contribute to rapid antidepressant effects, and have influenced clinical and scientific discourse around psychedelic and dissociative therapeutics for mood and anxiety disorders.
Key Impact
Carlos Zarate is a leading clinician–scientist who has pioneered clinical and translational research demonstrating the rapid antidepressant and antisuicidal effects of ketamine and related NMDA‑receptor modulators in treatment‑resistant mood disorders.
Collaboration Network
43 collaborators· click a node to visit their profile
Full network →Collaboration Network
See Carlos Zarate's full collaboration network, shared papers, and research connections.
Compounds
Topics
Top Collaborators
Top Collaborators
Unlock clinical summaries, full texts, and related trial mapping.
Affiliations
Institutions, companies, and organisations Carlos Zarate is associated with.
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
governmentU.S. federal institute defining mental-health research agendas and evidence-generation priorities including psychedelic-relevant studies.
View stakeholder →Mclean Hospital
Harvard Medical School-affiliated psychiatric hospital and one of the leading mental health research institutions in the United States. Operates a dedicated Ketamine Service for treatment-resistant depression and is actively expanding into psilocybin research for depression, bipolar disorder, and other psychiatric conditions.
View stakeholder →