Therapeutic potential of ketamine for alcohol use disorder.
Stephen D Worrell, Thomas J Gould
Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews July 1, 2021 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.05.006 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Addiction Depression Ketamine PTSD Esketamine |
| Keywords | Alcohol use disorders Biomarkers Nmda antagonist |
| Citations | 47 |
| Key findings | Ketamine shows potential for treating Alcohol Use Disorder based on its effects on depression, stress disorders, and preliminary evidence for substance use disorders. |
Abstract
Excessive alcohol consumption is involved in 1/10 of deaths of U.S. working-age adults and costs the country around $250,000,000 yearly. While Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) pathology is complex and involves multiple neurotransmitter systems, changes in synaptic plasticity, hippocampal neurogenesis, and neural connectivity have been implicated in the behavioral characteristics of AUD. Depressed mood and stress are major determinants of relapse in AUD, and there is significant comorbidity between AUD, depression, and stress disorders, suggesting potential for overlap in their treatments. Disulfiram, naltrexone, and acamprosate are current pharmacotherapies for AUD, but these treatments have limitations, highlighting the need for novel therapeutics. Ketamine is a N-methyl-D-Aspartate receptor antagonist, historically used in anesthesia, but also affects other neurotransmitters systems, synaptic plasticity, neurogenesis, and neural connectivity. Currently under investigation for treating AUDs and other Substance Use Disorders (SUDs), ketamine has strong support for efficacy in treating clinical depression, recently receiving FDA approval. Ketamine's effect in treating depression and stress disorders, such as PTSD, and preliminary evidence for treating SUDs further suggests a role for treating AUDs. This review explores the behavioral and neural evidence for treating AUDs with ketamine and clinical data on ketamine therapy for AUDs and SUDs.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on ketamine for PTSD, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A State-of-the-art Review. | 2024 | Narrative state-of-the-art review | |
| Glutamate and post-traumatic stress disorder: toward a psychobiology of dissociation. | 1999 | Review | |
| The Psychedelic Future of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Treatment | 2024 | Comprehensive review | |
| Diverse therapeutic developments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) indicate common mechanisms of memory modulation. | 2022 | Review | |
| The potential of ketamine for posttraumatic stress disorder: a review of clinical evidence. | 2023 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 26
- Ketamine and serotonergic psychedelics: An update on the mechanisms and biosignatures underlying rapid-acting antidepressant treatment Neuropharmacology January 13, 2023
- Classic and non‐classic psychedelics for substance use disorder: A review of their historic, past and current research Addiction Neuroscience June 22, 2022
- Ketamine as a Treatment for Anorexia Nervosa: A Narrative Review Nutrients November 20, 2021
- Ketamine and Esketamine in Clinical Trials: FDA-Approved and Emerging Indications, Trial Trends With Putative Mechanistic Explanations. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics February 1, 2025
- The therapeutic use and efficacy of ketamine in alcohol use disorder and alcohol withdrawal syndrome: a scoping review Frontiers in Psychiatry April 27, 2023
and 21 more in the library
Cites 36
- A Randomized Trial of an N-methyl-D-aspartate Antagonist in Treatment-Resistant Major Depression Archives of General Psychiatry August 1, 2006
- Resting-State Functional Connectivity Reflects Structural Connectivity in the Default Mode Network Cerebral Cortex April 9, 2008
- Mechanisms of Ketamine Action as an Antidepressant Molecular Psychiatry March 13, 2018
- Ketamine Pharmacology: An Update (Pharmacodynamics and Molecular Aspects, Recent Findings) CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics April 10, 2013
- Efficacy of Intravenous Ketamine for Treatment of Chronic Posttraumatic Stress Disorder JAMA Psychiatry April 16, 2014
and 31 more in the library