The Ketamine Model of the Near-Death Experience: A Central Role for the N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptor
Journal of Near-Death Studies March 1, 1997 K. Jansen
Ketamine can reproduce near-death experiences (NDEs) by blocking NMDA receptors for the neurotransmitter glutamate in the brain. Conditions that trigger NDEs—such as hypoxia, ischemia, hypoglycemia, and temporal lobe epilepsy—release a surge of glutamate that overactivates NMDA receptors, causing neurotoxicity. Ketamine prevents this neurotoxicity. The brain contains substances that bind to the same receptor site as ketamine. Conditions causing a glutamate flood may also release neuroprotective agents that bind to NMDA receptors, protecting cells and inducing an altered state of consciousness similar to that produced by ketamine.