Ultra-high Field fMRI Reveals Effect of Ketamine on Vocal Processing in Common Marmosets.
Audrey Dureux, Alessandro Zanini, Azadeh Jafari, Stefan Everling
Journal of Neuroscience April 9, 2025 DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0651-24.2025 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental study with within-subject drug challenge Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Awake male and female marmoset monkeys (Callithrix jacchus) |
| Intervention | Ketamine |
| Dose | subanesthetic dose |
| Topics | Ketamine Esketamine |
| Keywords | Auditory processing FMRI Marmoset monkeys Psychopharmacology Schizophrenia research Primate studies |
| Citations | 3 |
| Key findings | Ketamine broadly suppresses auditory brain activations in marmosets and alters processing in the mediodorsal thalamus and anterior cingulate cortex specifically for vocalizations, mirroring disruptions seen in schizophrenia. |
Abstract
Auditory deficits are a well-known symptom in neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia. The noncompetitive N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor antagonist ketamine has been used to model sensory and cognitive deficits in nonhuman primates, but its whole-brain effects remain largely unknown. Here we employed ultra-high field functional magnetic resonance imaging at 9.4 T in awake male and female marmoset monkeys (Callithrix jacchus) to compare brain activations to conspecific vocalizations, scrambled vocalizations, and nonvocal sounds following the administration of a subanesthetic dose of ketamine. Our findings reveal a broad suppression of activations across auditory regions following ketamine compared with saline. Additionally, we observed differential effects depending on the type of sound, with notable changes in the mediodorsal thalamus and anterior cingulate cortex, particularly during the processing of vocalizations. These findings suggest a potential overlap between the effects of ketamine and neural disruptions observed in schizophrenia, particularly affecting vocalization processing.
Comparable studies
Other preclinical and animal studies on ketamine, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| mTOR-Dependent Synapse Formation Underlies the Rapid Antidepressant Effects of NMDA Antagonists Rats | 2010 | Observational study | |
| Activation of Glutamatergic Neurotransmission by Ketamine: A Novel Step in the Pathway from NMDA Receptor Blockade to Dopaminergic and Cognitive Disruptions Associated with the Prefrontal Cortex Conscious rats | 1997 | Dose-response study with microdialysis and behavioral testing | |
| NMDAR inhibition-independent antidepressant actions of ketamine metabolites Mice | 2016 | Preclinical study | |
| The dissociative anaesthetics, ketamine and phencyclidine, selectively reduce excitation of central mammalian neurones by N‐methyl‐aspartate Spinal neurons in decerebrate or pentobarbitone-anaesthetized cats and rats | 1983 | Experimental study | |
| R-ketamine: a rapid-onset and sustained antidepressant without psychotomimetic side effects Mice | 2015 | Experimental study |
Citations in the library
Cites 7
- Subanesthetic Effects of the Noncompetitive NMDA Antagonist, Ketamine, in Humans Archives of General Psychiatry March 1, 1994
- Ketamine-Induced Deficits in Auditory and Visual Context-Dependent Processing in Healthy Volunteers Archives of General Psychiatry December 1, 2000
- Ketamine activates psychosis and alters limbic blood flow in schizophrenia Neuroreport April 1, 1995
- Reviewing the ketamine model for schizophrenia Journal of Psychopharmacology November 20, 2013
- A Meta-Analysis of Functional Neuroimaging Studies of Ketamine Administration in Healthy Volunteers. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 2024
and 2 more in the library