The neurophysiology of ketamine: an integrative review
Rebecca McMillan, Suresh Muthukumaraswamy
Reviews in the Neurosciences May 5, 2020 DOI: 10.1515/revneuro-2019-0090 (opens in new tab) via OpenAlex
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Ketamine Esketamine |
| Keywords | Neuroscience Neurophysiology Neuroimaging Neurology |
| Citations | 53 |
| Key findings | Ketamine's acute effects on the resting brain are complex and vary across species, doses, and methodologies, highlighting the need for standardized approaches in future research. |
Abstract
The drug ketamine has been extensively studied due to its use in anaesthesia, as a model of psychosis and, most recently, its antidepressant properties. Understanding the physiology of ketamine is complex due to its rich pharmacology with multiple potential sites at clinically relevant doses. In this review of the neurophysiology of ketamine, we focus on the acute effects of ketamine in the resting brain. We ascend through spatial scales starting with a complete review of the pharmacology of ketamine and then cover its effects on in vitro and in vivo electrophysiology. We then summarise and critically evaluate studies using EEG/MEG and neuroimaging measures (MRI and PET), integrating across scales where possible. While a complicated and, at times, confusing picture of ketamine's effects are revealed, we stress that much of this might be caused by use of different species, doses, and analytical methodologies and suggest strategies that future work could use to answer these problems.