Widespread Cortical Thickness Reductions Following Non-medical Use of Ketamine: a Structural MRI Study of Individuals with Ketamine Dependence
Jinsong Tang, Qiuxia Wu, Chang Qi, An Xie, Jianbin Liu, Yunkai Sun, Tifei Yuan, Wei Chen, Tieqiao Liu, Wei Hao, Yanhui Liao
medRxiv Preprint Server February 21, 2021 preprint DOI: 10.1101/2021.02.21.21252178 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort |
|---|---|
| Population | Chronic ketamine users |
| Intervention | ketamine |
| Topics | Addiction Esketamine Ketamine |
| Keywords | Ketamine abuse Recreational ketamine use Illicit ketamine Ketamine dependence Drug abuse Brain changes Cortical thinning Neurological impact Brain structure Neurotoxicity Brain health Neuroimaging MRI Scans Brain imaging Medical imaging |
| Key findings | Chronic, non-medical ketamine use is associated with cortical thickness abnormalities in the brain. |
Abstract
Background A version of ketamine, called Esketamine has been approved for treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Ketamine (“K powder”), a “dissociative” anesthetic agent, however, has been used non-medically alone or with other illicit substances. Our previous studies showed a link between non-medical ketamine use and brain structural and functional alterations. We found dorsal prefrontal gray matter reduction in chronic ketamine users. It is unknown, however, whether these observations might parallel findings of cortical thickness alterations. This study aimed at exploring cortical thickness abnormalities following non-medical, long-term use of ketamine.