Brain State Dynamics in Ketamine-Induced Dissociation Resemble Those in PTSD
Noam Goldway, Taly Markovits, Naomi Fine, Tom Fruchtman-Steinbok, Guy Gurevitch, Gustavo Deco, Haggai Sharon, Talma Hendler
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 108 |
| Population | Healthy volunteers and PTSD patients |
| Interventions | intravenous ketamine administration therapeutic interventions in PTSD patients |
| Topics | Esketamine Ketamine PTSD |
| Key findings | Ketamine-induced dissociative states in healthy volunteers produced brain dynamics resembling those in PTSD patients before treatment, with increased default mode network dominance and decreased somatomotor dominance, while PTSD treatment increased transition energies, indicating more organized brain dynamics. |
Abstract
Dissociation, an altered state of consciousness in which individuals feel detached from their body, environment, and sense of self, is a common feature of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Despite its significance, the neurocognitive processes underlying dissociation remain poorly understood, potentially limiting the effectiveness of PTSD diagnostics and treatment. To address this gap, we apply network control theory to examine neural dynamics corresponding to dissociative states in two contexts: intravenous ketamine administration, an anesthetic known to induce dissociative states (n=30, healthy volunteers), and therapeutic interventions in PTSD patients expected to alleviate dissociative symptoms (n=78). Ketamine administration led to brain dynamics resembling those observed in PTSD patients pre-treatment, with increased dominance of a default mode network meta-state and decreased dominance of a somatomotor meta-state. While ketamine did not significantly alter the brain's energetic landscape, transition energies increased post-treatment in PTSD patients, potentially indicating more organized and less entropic brain dynamics.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on ketamine for PTSD, most cited first.