Effect of ketamine on exploratory behaviour in BALB/C and C57BL/6 mice.
Kubra Akillioglu, Emine Babar Melik, Enver Melik, Ayper Boga
Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior January 2012 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2011.10.014 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental animal study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Adult male Balb/c and C57BL/6 mice |
| Intervention | Ketamine |
| Dose | 1, 5 or 10 mg/kg |
| Measures | Open-field test, elevated plus maze |
| Topics | Esketamine Ketamine |
| Key findings | A subanaesthetic dose of ketamine increased exploratory locomotion in Balb/c mice but decreased it in C57BL/6 mice, and the authors conclude that hereditary factors may play an important role in ketamine-induced responses. |
Abstract
In this study, we evaluated the effect of ketamine on exploratory locomotion behaviours in the Balb/c and C57BL/6 strains of mice, which differ in their locomotion behaviours. Intraperitoneal administration of ketamine at three different doses (1, 5 or 10 mg/kg, 0.1 ml/10 gr body weight) was performed on adult male Balb/c and C57BL/6 mice. The same volume of saline was applied to the control group. The open-field and elevated plus maze apparatus were used to evaluate exploratory locomotion. In the open-field test, Balb/c mice less spend time in the centre of the field and was decreased locomotor activity compared to C57BL/6 mice (p<0.01). Ketamine treatment of Balb/c mice at 10 mg/kg dose caused an increase in locomotor activity and an increase in the amount of time spent in the centre in the open-field test, compared to the control group (p<0.05). In C57BL/6 mice, ketamine treatment (1 and 10 mg/kg) decreased locomotor activity (p<0.05). In C57BL/6 mice, the three different doses of ketamine application each caused a decrease in the frequency of centre crossing (p<0.001) and the spent time in the centre (p<0.05). In the elevated plus maze, the number of open-arm entries, the percentage of open-arm time and total arm entries were decreased in Balb/c mice compared to C57BL/6 mice (p<0.001). Ketamine treatment of Balb/c mice at 10 mg/kg dose caused an increase in the open-arm activity (p<0.001). Ketamine application (10 mg/kg) decreased the open-arm activity in C57BL/6 mice (p<0.05). A subanaesthetic dose of ketamine increased exploratory locomotion in Balb/c mice. In contrast, a subanaesthetic dose of ketamine decreased exploratory locomotion in C57BL/6 mice. In conclusion, hereditary factors may play an important role in ketamine-induced responses.
Comparable studies
Other preclinical and animal studies on ketamine, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| mTOR-Dependent Synapse Formation Underlies the Rapid Antidepressant Effects of NMDA Antagonists Rats | 2010 | Observational study | |
| 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 Conscious rats | 1997 | Dose-response study with microdialysis and behavioral testing | |
| NMDAR inhibition-independent antidepressant actions of ketamine metabolites Mice | 2016 | Preclinical study | |
| The dissociative anaesthetics, ketamine and phencyclidine, selectively reduce excitation of central mammalian neurones by N‐methyl‐aspartate Spinal neurons in decerebrate or pentobarbitone-anaesthetized cats and rats | 1983 | Experimental study | |
| R-ketamine: a rapid-onset and sustained antidepressant without psychotomimetic side effects Mice | 2015 | Experimental study |
Citations in the library
Cited by 10
- Age, Dose, and Locomotion: Decoding Vulnerability to Ketamine in C57BL/6J and BALB/c Mice. Biomedicines June 25, 2023
- The Behavioral and Neuroinflammatory Impact of Ketamine in a Murine Model of Depression and Liver Damage. International Journal of Molecular Sciences April 10, 2025
- Ketamine's Amelioration of Fear Extinction in Adolescent Male Mice Is Associated with the Activation of the Hippocampal Akt-mTOR-GluA1 Pathway. Pharmaceuticals May 22, 2024
- Ketamine blocks morphine-induced conditioned place preference and anxiety-like behaviors in mice bioRxiv Preprint Server January 22, 2020
- Cannabidiol Mitigates Ketamine-Induced Hyperlocomotion Via Allosteric Potentiation of Ventral Tegmental Glycine Receptor α1 Signaling. Biological Psychiatry March 16, 2026
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Cites 6
- 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
- Behavioral alterations and pro-oxidant effect of a single ketamine administration to mice. Brain Research Bulletin August 30, 2010
- Acute administration of ketamine induces antidepressant-like effects in the forced swimming test and increases BDNF levels in the rat hippocampus. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry January 1, 2008
- Behavioral effects of ketamine and toxic interactions with psychostimulants BMC Neuroscience March 16, 2006
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