Research snapshot: Nitrous oxide may be linked to less severe depression symptoms among adults with treatment-resistant bipolar depression

There are few effective treatments for depression in people with bipolar disorder, especially fast-acting ones. Nitrous oxide (an anesthetic also known as laughing gas) has been shown to work quickly in a small set of studies of adults with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder.

In a new study, researchers compared the effect of a single treatment session of nitrous oxide against another anesthetic that is not known to have antidepressant effects, midazolam, in adults with treatment-resistant bipolar depression. The researchers also used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to measure blood flow in various brain regions before, during and after treatment.

To read more about this research, including the study findings, read this plain language summary.