Ethanol-like effects of thiopental and ketamine in healthy humans
D. Dickerson, Brian Pittman, E. Ralevski, A. Perrino, D. Limoncelli, J. Edgecombe, G. Acampora, JH Krystal, Ismene L. Petrakis
Journal of Psychopharmacology February 1, 2010 DOI: 10.1177/0269881108098612 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 28 |
| Population | Healthy adults aged 21-30 with no personal or family histories of alcoholism |
| Interventions | Thiopental Ketamine |
| Topics | Esketamine Ketamine |
| Key findings | Both thiopental and ketamine produced significant ethanol-like effects and subjective intoxication, but ketamine's effects were more intense and included perceptual alterations not seen with thiopental. The authors propose that GABA-A receptor facilitation contributes to social drinking effects, while NMDA antagonism contributes more to intoxication features. |
Abstract
The γ-aminobutyric acid-A (GABA A ) and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors mediate aspects of the behavioural effects of alcohol. Prior studies reported drugs that block NMDA receptors or facilitate GABA A receptor function produce ethanol-like effects in humans. The purpose of this study was to compare the ethanol-related effects of two pharmacological agents with known NMDA and GABA A receptor activity. As part of an ongoing, larger study, 28 subjects (age, 21—30) with no personal or family histories of alcoholism were administered subanesthetic doses of the GABA A receptor agonist thiopental, the NMDA receptor antagonist, ketamine and placebo on three separate test days. Various ethanol-related measures were administered. At doses of thiopental and ketamine that produced similar levels of sedation and cognitive effects, both agents produced significant ethanol-like effects and subjective intoxication. However, the intensity of the ethanol-like effects of ketamine was greater than that of thiopental. In addition, ketamine produced alterations in perception that were not produced by thiopental. These data provide further support for a model where GABA A receptor facilitation may contribute significantly to ethanol effects associated with social drinking, whereas NMDA receptor antagonism may contribute to relatively greater extent to features of ethanol ‘intoxication’.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on ketamine, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subanesthetic Effects of the Noncompetitive NMDA Antagonist, Ketamine, in Humans Healthy human subjects recruited from the community | 1994 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 19 |
| Antidepressant Efficacy of Ketamine in Treatment-Resistant Major Depression: A Two-Site Randomized Controlled Trial Patients with treatment-resistant major depression experiencing a major depressive episode | 2013 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |
| Remifentanil-induced Postoperative Hyperalgesia and Its Prevention with Small-dose Ketamine Patients undergoing major abdominal surgery | 2005 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 75 |
| Efficacy of Intravenous Ketamine for Treatment of Chronic Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Patients with chronic PTSD related to a range of trauma exposures | 2014 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Ketamine-Induced Deficits in Auditory and Visual Context-Dependent Processing in Healthy Volunteers Healthy volunteers | 2000 | Single-blind placebo-controlled study | n = 20 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 6
- Association of Ketamine With Psychiatric Symptoms and Implications for Its Therapeutic Use and for Understanding Schizophrenia JAMA Network Open May 1, 2020
- Preliminary analysis of positive and negative syndrome scale in ketamine-associated psychosis in comparison with schizophrenia Journal of Psychiatric Research December 24, 2014
- Pharmacological modelling of dissociation and psychosis: an evaluation of the Clinician Administered Dissociative States Scale and Psychotomimetic States Inventory during nitrous oxide (‘laughing gas’)-induced anomalous states Psychopharmacology March 26, 2022
- Ketamine acutely impairs memory consolidation and repeated exposure promotes stereotyped behavior without changing anxiety- and aggression-like parameters in adult zebrafish. Physiology & Behavior January 18, 2022
- Rewarding Subjective Effects of the NMDAR Antagonist Nitrous Oxide (Laughing Gas) Are Moderated by Impulsivity and Depressive Symptoms in Healthy Volunteers. The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology July 23, 2021
and 1 more in the library
Cites 5
- Subanesthetic Effects of the Noncompetitive NMDA Antagonist, Ketamine, in Humans Archives of General Psychiatry March 1, 1994
- Measurement of dissociative states with the Clinician‐Administered Dissociative States Scale (CADSS) Journal of Traumatic Stress 1998
- Attenuation of the Neuropsychiatric Effects of Ketamine With Lamotrigine Archives of General Psychiatry March 1, 2000
- Glutamate and the Neural Basis of the Subjective Effects of Ketamine Archives of General Psychiatry February 1, 2008
- Altered NMDA Glutamate Receptor Antagonist Response in Individuals With a Family Vulnerability to Alcoholism American Journal of Psychiatry October 1, 2004