Sorcha Hamilton

Ketamine attenuates habenula activity in response to aversive outcomes during Pavlovian learning

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) February 10, 2026 Erdem Pulcu, Sara Costi, Pilar Artiach-Hortelano et al. preprint

Abstract Ketamine is an NMDA receptor antagonist with rapid-antidepressant properties when administered at a sub-anesthetic dose. Preclinical models indicate that a direct injection of ketamine into lateral habenula (Hb), a small midbrain structure with an evolutionarily preserved role in aversive learning across mammals, can rapidly relieve depression-like behavior. However, there is limited...