Higher doses of ketamine administered to sheep completely reduced brain activity for a short period. Researchers report as the drug wore off and consciousness was regained, the animals' brain activity switched between high and low-frequency oscillations. The timing of the brain activity corresponds to the time human users report experiencing feelings that their brain 'disconnected' from their bodies after ketamine use.
SSRI's, ketamine, and tricyclic antidepressants all bind with TrkB. The findings challenge the roles serotonin and glutamate receptors play in the effects of antidepressant medications.
Researchers have found a diverse array of illicit drugs, including cocaine and ketamine, along with pesticides and pharmaceutical chemicals in British freshwater shrimp. While the concentrations of chemicals were considered low, researchers state there is a concern for the potential environmental risk this may pose to wildlife.
Researchers have identified a mechanism that could help explain how ketamine helps relieve symptoms of depression.
A new study reveals a brain region that contributes to anhedonia, the loss of pleasure, in those with depression. The study also shows how ketamine acts on this brain region, explaining why the drug appears to be so effective at treating anhedonia.
Mouse study reveals elevated dopamine levels preceded hallucination-like events, and artificially boosting dopamine levels induced more hallucination-like events. The behavioral effects could be blocked by administering haloperidol, an antipsychotic which blocks dopamine. The study sheds light on potential new treatments for psychotic disorders marked by hallucinations.
Researchers report a group of neurons that fire haphazardly in mouse models of schizophrenia could underlie the psychosis that is symptomatic of the disorder.
Study demonstrates the importance of a specific type of connection between neurons and may also explain how ketamine shows promise in treating depression.
Brain connections strengthened with treatment from fast-acting antidepressants, such as ketamine, are consolidated during deep sleep. Researchers propose rapid antidepressant treatments share the ability to regulate both synaptic potentiation and homeostatic mechanisms, which may contribute to how the brain reorganizes its activity to defeat depression.
A new study funded by the NIMH suggests GLYX-13, a molecular cousin to ketamine, induces similar antidepressant results without the negative side effects of the well known street drug.
A new study shows the effectiveness of ketamine in treating depression in a mouse model of the disease and also helps bring together two hypotheses for the cause of depression.
Ketamine's rapid action as an antidepressant is a result of increasing the activity of a small number of newborn neurons, which are part of ongoing neurogenesis in the brain.