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ketamine

·November 14, 2024·7 min read

“Lifesaving” Low-Dose Ketamine Unlocks Rapid Relief for Depression

Researchers have identified how low-dose ketamine alleviates depression by selectively targeting specific NMDA receptors in the brain. Unlike high-dose anesthetic effects, low-dose ketamine binds to lateral grooves on NMDA receptors, enhancing excitatory transmission and long-term synaptic changes.

Diagram shows how ketamine affects the brain.

Featured Neurology

·May 11, 2016·3 min read

A ‘Communication Breakdown’ During General Anesthesia

A new study reveals the neurological mechanisms at work during ketamine anesthesia.

Featured Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·September 29, 2016·4 min read

Alcohol Shown to Act in Same Way as Rapid Antidepressants

Researchers report alcohol produces the same neural and molecular changes as drugs that have proven to be rapidly effective antidepressants.

Featured Psychology

·December 12, 2016·3 min read

Antidepressant Effects of Ketamine Can Be Separated From Potential Side Effects

Ketamine may improve brain functions involved in mood regulation, researchers report.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·December 18, 2018·4 min read

Are Near Death Experiences Hallucinations?

Researchers consider the neurobiology of near death experiences.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·March 30, 2026·8 min read

Blocking NOX-1 Extends Ketamine’s Effectiveness for Depression

Researchers have identified the NOX-1 enzyme as the reason ketamine's antidepressant effects are short-lived. By blocking NOX-1, they extended the drug's benefits from days to weeks.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 24, 2025·4 min read

Boosting Ketamine’s Antidepressant Effects to Last Two Months

Ketamine is a fast-acting antidepressant that can relieve symptoms of major depressive disorder (MDD) within hours, even in treatment-resistant cases. However, its effects typically last only a week, and frequent dosing poses risks like dissociation or addiction.

Featured Neuroscience Neuroscience Videos Psychology

·August 30, 2021·3 min read

Brain Cells Conduct Antidepressant Action Even in the Absence of Activity

In the absence of neural activity, BDNF expression can still be activated. The findings shed light on how therapeutic ketamine used has an antidepressant effect and how it works in both the long and short term.

This shows a statue of a head with its face facing inward

Electrophysiology Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·September 16, 2020·6 min read

Brain Circuitry Underlying Dissociative Experiences Identified

Researchers have identified a key neural circuit that plays a role in dissociation, a phenomenon in which people can feel disconnected from their bodies and reality.

Featured Psychology

·December 21, 2015·3 min read

Brain Circuits Involved in Ketamine’s Antidepressant Effect Identified

New understanding about ketamine's antidepressant effect could lead to the development of new, safer and quicker ways to treat depression.

Featured Neurology Psychology

·August 6, 2012·8 min read

Brain Signal IDs Responders to Fast-Acting Antidepressants

Scientists have discovered a biological marker that may help to identify which depressed patients will respond to an experimental, rapid-acting antidepressant like ketamine. The brain signal, detectable by noninvasive imaging, also holds clues to the agent's underlying mechanism, which are vital for drug development, say NIH researchers.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·May 12, 2025·6 min read

Brain Wave Phase Locking May Be Key to Unconsciousness

Despite acting through different molecular mechanisms, ketamine and dexmedetomidine both disrupt brain wave phase alignment in ways that reliably induce unconsciousness. A new study reveals that these anesthetics trigger a common signature: increased phase locking at low frequencies, particularly between brain hemispheres, while disrupting local cortical communication.

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ketamine

“Lifesaving” Low-Dose Ketamine Unlocks Rapid Relief for Depression

A ‘Communication Breakdown’ During General Anesthesia

Alcohol Shown to Act in Same Way as Rapid Antidepressants

Antidepressant Effects of Ketamine Can Be Separated From Potential Side Effects

Are Near Death Experiences Hallucinations?

Blocking NOX-1 Extends Ketamine’s Effectiveness for Depression

Boosting Ketamine’s Antidepressant Effects to Last Two Months

Brain Cells Conduct Antidepressant Action Even in the Absence of Activity

Brain Circuitry Underlying Dissociative Experiences Identified

Brain Circuits Involved in Ketamine’s Antidepressant Effect Identified

Brain Signal IDs Responders to Fast-Acting Antidepressants

Brain Wave Phase Locking May Be Key to Unconsciousness

How Severe Illness During Pregnancy Alters Fetal Brain Development

Aging Brains Maintain Robust Language Networks Despite Cognitive Decline

Youth Protein TIMP2 Restores Immune Function in the Aging Brain

Shame, Stigma, and Culture Prevent Male Domestic Violence Survivors From Seeking Help

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