Schizophrenia, dissociative anaesthesia and near-death experience; three events meeting at the NMDA receptor.
Iván L Bonta
Medical Hypotheses 2004 DOI: 10.1016/s0306-9877(03)00307-4 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Near-death experience |
| Keywords | Brain Animals Humans Death Glutamic acid Glycine Receptors, n-methyl-d-aspartate Anesthetics, dissociative Schizophrenia Models, biological Statistics as topic |
| Key points | Argues that schizophrenia, dissociative anaesthesia, and near-death experience share the glutamate-sensitive NMDA receptor complex as a common functional denominator and may serve as functional models of one another. Proposes that NMDA recognition-site antagonism induces dissociative anaesthesia and near-death experience, while glycine-site agonist reinforcement counteracts negative symptoms of schizophrenia, both compatible with a glutamate deficiency concept. |
Abstract
The three events, viz. schizophrenia, dissociative anaesthesia and Near-Death Experience, despite their seemingly unrelated manifestation to each other, have nevertheless similar functional basis. All three events are linked to the glutamate sensitive N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor complex, which serves as their common functional denominator. Arguments and speculations are presented in favor of the view that, the three events might be considered as functional models of each other. Antagonism to the recognition NMDA-site of the receptor induces dissociative anaesthesia and precipitates Near-Death Experience. Agonist reinforcement at the modulatory glycine-site of the receptor counteracts negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Both types of challenges towards the receptor are compatible with a glutamate deficiency concept which underlies the meeting of the three events at the NMDA receptor.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on near-death experience, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Otherworld Journeys: Accounts of Near-Death Experience in Medieval and Modern Times | 1987 | Historical analysis | |
| Neuroscience and the Near-Death Experience: Roles for the NMSA-PCP receptor, the sigma receptor and the endopsychosins | 1990 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Implications of near-death experiences for a postmaterialist psychology. | 2010 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Near-Death Experience as a Probe to Explore (Disconnected) Consciousness | 2020 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Near-death experiences between science and prejudice | 2012 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 10
- Phenomenon of new drugs on the Internet: the case of ketamine derivative methoxetamine Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental March 1, 2012
- From “Special K” to “Special M”: The Evolution of the Recreational Use of Ketamine and Methoxetamine CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics June 1, 2013
- Methoxetamine (MXE) – A Phenomenological Study of Experiences Induced by a “Legal High” from the Internet Journal of Psychoactive Drugs July 1, 2013
- Epistemological implications of near-death experiences and other non-ordinary mental expressions: Moving beyond the concept of altered state of consciousness Medical Hypotheses April 11, 2015
- Near-Death States Reported in a Sample of 50 Misusers Substance Use & Misuse March 1, 2010
and 5 more in the library
Cites 6
- Subanesthetic Effects of the Noncompetitive NMDA Antagonist, Ketamine, in Humans Archives of General Psychiatry March 1, 1994
- The phenomenology of near-death experiences American Journal of Psychiatry October 1, 1980
- The Near-death Experience The British Journal of Psychiatry November 1, 1988
- Neuroscience and the Near-Death Experience: Roles for the NMSA-PCP receptor, the sigma receptor and the endopsychosins Medical Hypotheses 1990
- The NMDA antagonist model for schizophrenia: promise and pitfalls. Pharmacopsychiatry July 1, 1998
and 1 more in the library