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ketamine

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·February 12, 2024·7 min read

Ketamine’s Effects Diverge by Sex

Ketamine's effects on depression and pain, and its interaction with opioid pathways, significantly differ between sexes. In a detailed rat study, the team found that blocking opioid receptors nullified ketamine's impact only in males, suggesting a complex interplay between ketamine, opioid systems, and sex hormones.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·February 8, 2024·10 min read

Ketamine’s Leap from Fringe to Mainstream in Depression Treatment

A new study involving 74 participants, has demonstrated significant promise for intravenous ketamine in treating severe depression and bipolar disorder, conditions often resistant to traditional therapies. This research indicates that after just three ketamine infusions over 11 days, 52% of the participants achieved remission, with half of those frequently experiencing suicidal thoughts witnessing a dramatic decline in such impulses.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·October 19, 2023·6 min read

Does Drug Effect or Power of Belief Explain Ketamine’s Antidepressant Effect?

Researchers conducted a unique study to uncover the efficacy of ketamine in treating depression, bypassing its unmistakable psychedelic effects by administering it during surgery. Surprisingly, both the ketamine and placebo groups showed substantial improvement in depression symptoms.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·April 1, 2023·4 min read

Ketamine Could Be Beneficial for Treating Brain Injury in Children

Ketamine reduces pressure within the skull for children with traumatic brain injury, a new study reports.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·February 20, 2023·4 min read

Ketamine Could Be Effective Treatment for Cocaine-Use Disorders

Those with cocaine use disorder who were administered ketamine for depression or pain experienced two-to-four times higher remission rate.

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Featured Neuroscience Pain Psychology

·January 30, 2023·5 min read

How Ketamine Acts as Antidepressant in Chronic Pain

Chronic pain in mice activates Tiam1 in pyramidal neurons in the anterior cingulate cortex, increasing the number of dendritic spines and inducing synaptic plasticity. Ketamine's antidepressant effect in chronic pain is mediated by the drug blocking Tiam1-dependent maladaptive synaptic plasticity in ACC neurons.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·January 9, 2023·12 min read

The Rebirth of Psychedelic Medicine

Often considered dangerous, mind-altering drugs, researchers are turning to the study of psychedelic therapies as a potential to treat an array of psychiatric conditions including depression and PTSD.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·December 30, 2022·4 min read

Ketamine Found to Increase Brain Noise

By inhibiting NMDA receptors, ketamine increases noise to gamma frequencies in one layer of the thalamic nucleus and one lay of the somatosensory cortex. Findings suggest psychosis may be triggered by an increase in background noise impairing thalamocortical neurons which may be caused by a malfunction in NMDA receptors affecting the balance of inhibition and excitation in the brain.

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Featured Neuroscience

·December 2, 2022·4 min read

How Ketamine Acts as a ‘Switch’ in the Brain

Ketamine alters neural activity in the cerebral cortex, silencing normally active neurons and activating neurons that are normally inactive. The ketamine activity-induced "switch" in brain regions associated with depression may help explain its treatment effects.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·October 6, 2022·5 min read

Mechanism for the Antidepressant Effect of Ketamine Revealed

Those with treatment-resistant depression showed significant improvement in symptoms and became more receptive to positive experiences following a one-week ketamine treatment regimen.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·September 21, 2022·4 min read

Looking at Images of People Smiling at You Extends Antidepressant Effects of Ketamine

Automated computer-based training that focuses on positive words and images helps prolong the antidepressant effects of ketamine for those with treatment-resistant depression.