Reduced dorsal prefrontal gray matter after chronic ketamine use.
Yanhui Liao, Jinsong Tang, Philip R. Corlett, Xuyi Wang, Mei Yang, Hongxian Chen, Tieqiao Liu, Xiaogang Chen, Wei Hao, Paul C Fletcher
Biological Psychiatry January 1, 2011 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2010.08.030 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case-control observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 85 |
| Population | Ketamine-dependent individuals (n = 41) and drug-naive control individuals (n = 44) |
| Measures | voxel based morphometry, statistical parametric mapping, structural magnetic resonance imaging |
| Topics | Esketamine Ketamine |
| Key findings | Ketamine-dependent individuals had significant decreases in frontal gray matter volume compared with drug-naive controls, specifically in the left superior frontal gyrus and right middle frontal gyrus. Duration of ketamine use was negatively correlated with bilateral frontal gray matter volume, and estimated total lifetime ketamine consumption was negatively correlated with left superior frontal gyrus volume, which the authors suggest may indicate a dose-dependent effect of long-term ketamine use. |
Abstract
Use of ketamine as a recreational drug is spreading rapidly among young people all over the world. Epidemiological studies have linked chronic ketamine use with a number of problems, including cognitive impairments, bladder dysfunction, and ketamine-related death. However, little is known about the long-term effects of ketamine use on brain structure and function. We used voxel based morphometry in conjunction with statistical parametric mapping on the structural magnetic resonance images of ketamine-dependent (n = 41) and drug-naive control individuals (n = 44) to assess differences in gray matter volume between the two groups. We observed significant decreases in gray matter volume in bilateral frontal cortex (left superior frontal gyrus and right middle frontal gyrus) of ketamine users in comparison with control subjects (p < .05 corrected for multiple comparisons at cluster-level). Duration of ketamine use was negatively correlated with gray matter volume in bilateral frontal cortex, whereas the estimated total lifetime ketamine consumption was negatively correlated with gray matter volume in left superior frontal gyrus. We have demonstrated a reduction in frontal gray matter volume in patients after chronic ketamine use. The link between frontal gray matter attenuation and the duration of ketamine use and cumulative doses of ketamine perhaps suggests a dose-dependent effect of long-term use of the drug. Our results have important connotations for the clinical picture that is likely to emerge with the growing recreational use of ketamine and is also relevant to the status of the drug as a model for schizophrenia.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on ketamine, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taming the Ketamine Tiger Volunteers from a prison population | 2010 | Observational study | n = 20 |
| Increased spontaneous MEG signal diversity for psychoactive doses of ketamine, LSD and psilocybin Humans | 2017 | Observational study | |
| Disruption of Frontal–Parietal Communication by Ketamine, Propofol, and Sevoflurane Surgical patients undergoing induction of anesthesia with intravenous ketamine | 2013 | Observational cohort | n = 30 |
| Do the dissociative side effects of ketamine mediate its antidepressant effects? Treatment-resistant inpatients with major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder | 2014 | Observational cohort | n = 108 |
| Concomitant BDNF and sleep slow wave changes indicate ketamine-induced plasticity in major depressive disorder Patients with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder | 2012 | Observational cohort | n = 30 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 42
- Ketamine for chronic pain: risks and benefits British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology February 21, 2013
- Glutamate Receptor Antagonists as Fast-Acting Therapeutic Alternatives for the Treatment of Depression: Ketamine and Other Compounds The Annual Review of Pharmacology and Toxicology January 6, 2014
- To use or not to use: an update on licit and illicit ketamine use Substance Abuse and Rehabilitation March 1, 2011
- Longitudinal Effects of Ketamine on Dendritic ArchitectureIn Vivoin the Mouse Medial Frontal Cortex eNeuro March 1, 2016
- Drug models of schizophrenia. Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology February 1, 2015
and 37 more in the library
Cites 17
- Subanesthetic Effects of the Noncompetitive NMDA Antagonist, Ketamine, in Humans Archives of General Psychiatry March 1, 1994
- Activation of Glutamatergic Neurotransmission by Ketamine: A Novel Step in the Pathway from NMDA Receptor Blockade to Dopaminergic and Cognitive Disruptions Associated with the Prefrontal Cortex Journal of Neuroscience April 15, 1997
- Ketamine activates psychosis and alters limbic blood flow in schizophrenia Neuroreport April 1, 1995
- Attenuation of the Neuropsychiatric Effects of Ketamine With Lamotrigine Archives of General Psychiatry March 1, 2000
- Comparative and Interactive Human Psychopharmacologic Effects of Ketamine and Amphetamine Archives of General Psychiatry September 1, 2005
and 12 more in the library