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How exactly does ketamine work? New research offers insight

The anesthetic ketamine has become increasingly popular as a treatment for people with severe depression that resists conventional therapies. A number of studies have documented the drug’s game-changing effects, but scientists have been unsure exactly how it works. Now, a tiny, translucent fish appears to provide important new insights. Zebrafish, a member of the minnow family popular as a model for neuroscience research and in home aquariums, do not get depressed, exactly. However, when placed in a virtual environment that simulates the lack of forward movement, they do seem to “give up” — that is, they stop swimming.

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 Scientists are reformulating the party drug Ketamine to remove its terrible side effects

Having begun life as an anesthetic in 1962, then quickly co-opted as a party drug, ketamine is now the source of much excitement among psychiatrists for its potential to treat depression. There is one major challenge, though, as anyone who’s ever seen someone out of their mind on “Special K” can well imagine: the negative and potentially dangerous side effects of the drug mean it’s rarely used in clinical research. And so, to advance the field, neuroscientists are trying to figure out just what makes Special K so special. Their hope is to create a treatment with all the positive effects of the original drug, and none of its downsides.

Articles of Interest

Here's Everything You Need to Know About Ketamine

A doctor explains what ketamine is, why people use it to party, and how to be safe while taking it.

Ketamine: 50 Years of Modulating the Mind

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.

No Need To Die Twice: Why I’ll Never Do Ketamine Again

The term ‘K-hole’ was the most frightening slang I’d ever heard for a drug experience. Recreational drugs are supposed to induce euphoria and enlightenment, not shove you down a black hole and force an ambulance to haul away your drooling hulk. It was at that moment that I knew I would have to try Special K.

Plan to crack down on ketamine puts millions of women at risk, say campaigners

A new proposal to limit access to ketamine around the world would have a devastating effect on the health of millions of women in poorer countries, say campaigners. Although in developed nations ketamine is known primarily as a party drug, in lower income countries it's one of the most widely used anesthetics available, and is particularly notable for its use during caesarean sections.

The Pros and Cons of Ketamine as Medicine

It’s been a mixed bag for ketamine. At the present time, there are some accepted medical uses for it. Those include short-term sedation and anesthesia. And there are new applications as well. Ketamine is approved for use as medicine in the treatment of certain mental illnesses.

The Truth About Ketamine: What You Should Know

Originally developed in the 1960s as a general anesthetic, ketamine has become a widely used medical tool for pain management and surgical sedation. More recently, researchers have explored its potential as a treatment for severe depression and mood disorders. However, along with the medical benefits, ketamine’s rising popularity as a recreational drug raises concerns about misuse and potential health risks.

Why Ketamine Is the Best Drug on Earth

An emergency-room doctor explains why he routinely sticks his patients in the K-hole.