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
Near-death experiences (NDEs) can be reproduced by ketamine via blockade of receptors in the brain for the neurotransmitter glutamate, the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. Conditions that precipitate NDEs, such as hypoxia, ischemia, hypoglycemia, and temporal lobe epilepsy, have been shown to release a flood of glutamate, overactivating NMDA receptors and resulting in neurotoxicity....