Ketamine: 50 Years of Modulating the Mind
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience November 29, 2016 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2016.00612 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Esketamine Ketamine |
| Citations | 382 |
| Key findings | The authors propose that ketamine-mediated anesthesia may occur via disruption of corticocortical information transfer in a frontal-to-parietal ("top down") distribution, a mechanism they say has since been demonstrated with anesthetics of other pharmacological classes. They also suggest ketamine may have an emerging role in treating refractory depression and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. |
Abstract
Ketamine was introduced into clinical practice in the 1960s and continues to be both clinically useful and scientifically fascinating. With considerably diverse molecular targets and neurophysiological properties, ketamine's effects on the central nervous system remain incompletely understood. Investigators have leveraged the unique characteristics of ketamine to explore the invariant, fundamental mechanisms of anesthetic action. Emerging evidence indicates that ketamine-mediated anesthesia may occur via disruption of corticocortical information transfer in a frontal-to-parietal ("top down") distribution. This proposed mechanism of general anesthesia has since been demonstrated with anesthetics in other pharmacological classes as well. Ketamine remains invaluable to the fields of anesthesiology and critical care medicine, in large part due to its ability to maintain cardiorespiratory stability while providing effective sedation and analgesia. Furthermore, there may be an emerging role for ketamine in treatment of refractory depression and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. In this article, we review the history of ketamine, its pharmacology, putative mechanisms of action and current clinical applications.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on ketamine, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ketamine and Ketamine Metabolite Pharmacology: Insights into Therapeutic Mechanisms | 2018 | Review | |
| Mechanisms of Ketamine Action as an Antidepressant | 2018 | Review | |
| Synthesizing the Evidence for Ketamine and Esketamine in Treatment-Resistant Depression: An International Expert Opinion on the Available Evidence and Implementation Adults with treatment-resistant depression | 2021 | Review | |
| Ketamine Pharmacology: An Update (Pharmacodynamics and Molecular Aspects, Recent Findings) | 2013 | Review | |
| A Consensus Statement on the Use of Ketamine in the Treatment of Mood Disorders | 2017 | Review and consensus statement |
Citations in the library
Cited by 135
- Comparative efficacy of racemic ketamine and esketamine for depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis Journal of Affective Disorders September 23, 2020
- Rapid‐acting antidepressant ketamine, its metabolites and other candidates: A historical overview and future perspective Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences June 19, 2019
- Designer drugs: mechanism of action and adverse effects Archives of Toxicology April 1, 2020
- Ketamine as an antidepressant: overview of its mechanisms of action and potential predictive biomarkers Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology 2020
- Comparison of antidepressant and side effects in mice after intranasal administration of (R,S)-ketamine, (R)-ketamine, and (S)-ketamine. Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior June 1, 2019
and 130 more in the library
Cites 31
- A Randomized Trial of an N-methyl-D-aspartate Antagonist in Treatment-Resistant Major Depression Archives of General Psychiatry August 1, 2006
- Subanesthetic Effects of the Noncompetitive NMDA Antagonist, Ketamine, in Humans Archives of General Psychiatry March 1, 1994
- NMDAR inhibition-independent antidepressant actions of ketamine metabolites Nature April 24, 2016
- The dissociative anaesthetics, ketamine and phencyclidine, selectively reduce excitation of central mammalian neurones by N‐methyl‐aspartate British Journal of Pharmacology June 1, 1983
- Antidepressant Efficacy of Ketamine in Treatment-Resistant Major Depression: A Two-Site Randomized Controlled Trial American Journal of Psychiatry August 28, 2013
and 26 more in the library