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Absence of Ketamine Effects on Learning & Memory Following Exposure during Early Adolescence: A Preliminary Report

Shannon O’brien, David M. Compton, Julianna M. Davis, Jennifer Elvir, Adrien Albritton

Journal of Behavioral and Brain Science 2021 DOI: 10.4236/jbbs.2021.111003 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Experimental study with rodent model Peer reviewed
Population Rats exposed to ketamine or saline during early to mid-adolescence
Intervention Ketamine
Dose one of two doses of ketamine
Duration Exposure from postnatal days 22 to 40, with assessments beginning at 90 days of age after a 50-day drug-free period
Topics Ketamine Esketamine
Keywords Antidepressant Dissociative Saline Depression economics Drug Opiate Neuropsychology Nmda receptor Anesthesia Pharmacology Clinical psychology Hippocampus Cognition
Key findings Early adolescent exposure to ketamine in rats did not impair spatial or nonspatial learning in adulthood, but affected general activity levels.

Abstract

Traditionally, ketamine was considered useful as a dissociative anesthetic. More recently, ketamine has been examined for its effects as a fast-acting antidepressant, for treatment-resistant depression, and as a non-opiate treatment of chronic pain. Unfortunately, ketamine has enjoyed popularity as a recreational drug among both adolescents and young adults. While some research suggests the use of this drug during neurodevelopment is not without consequence, relatively little work has been conducted to examine the chronic effects of ketamine on the adolescent brain at different stages of neural development. Using a rodent model of development, we probed the effects of early adolescent exposure to ketamine. Between postnatal days 22 to 40, a period comprising early to mid-adolescence, rats were exposed to one of two doses of ketamine or saline. Beginning at 90 days of age and drug free for 50 days, a series of neuropsychological assessments were employed to examine general activity, spatial navigation, as well as nonspatial response learning. Contrary to prediction, except for differences in general activity levels, no spatial or nonspatial impairments were found among the drug- and saline-treated animals. The present results are considered in light of ketamine-associated effects found in a related study with older adolescent rats and the role of drug exposure during different points in adolescent brain development.

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

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Ketamine Esketamine Addiction Depression