Glutamatergic dysfunction may play an important role in both the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, and impaired memory commonly observed in that disorder. NMDA receptor antagonists impair learning/memory in animal models, putatively based on its ability to block long-term potentiation (LTP) in the hippocampus. Although well studied in animal models, research in humans is limited and confounded...
We administered ketamine to schizophrenic individuals in a double-blind, placebo-controlled design using a range of subanesthetic doses (0.1, 0.3, and 0.5 mg/kg) to evaluate the nature, dose characteristics, time course, and neuroleptic modulation of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) antagonist action on mental status in schizophrenia. Ketamine induced a dose-related, short (< 30 minutes) worsening...