The Neurobehavioral Pharmacology of Ketamine: Implications for Drug Abuse, Addiction, and Psychiatric Disorders

Abstract

Ketamine was developed in the early 1960s as an anesthetic and has been used for medical and veterinary procedures since then. Its unique profile of effects has led to its use at subanesthetic doses for a variety of other purposes: it is an effective analgesic and can prevent certain types of pathological pain; it produces schizophrenia-like effects and so is used in both clinical studies and preclinical animal models to better understand this disorder; it has rapid-acting and long-lasting antidepressant effects; and it is popular as a drug of abuse both among young people at dance parties and raves and among spiritual seekers. In this article we summarize recent research that provides insight into the myriad uses of ketamine. Clinical research is discussed, but the focus is on preclinical animal research, including recent findings from our own laboratory. Of particular note, although ketamine is normally considered a locomotor stimulant at subanesthetic doses, we have found locomotor depressant effects at very low subanesthetic doses. Thus, rather than a monotonic dose-dependent increase in activity, ketamine produces a more complex dose response. Additional work explores the mechanism of action of ketamine, ketamine-induced neuroadaptations, and ketamine reward. The findings described will inform future research on ketamine and lead to a better understanding of both its clinical uses and its abuse.

Biography

Keith A. Trujillo, PhD, is Professor of Psychology and Director of the Office for Biomedical Research and Training at California State University (CSU) San Marcos. Monique L. Smith, BA, was a graduate student in the Department of Psychology at CSU San Marcos and is now at Oregon Health & Science University; Brian Sullivan, BA, was a graduate student in the Department of Psychology at CSU San Marcos and is now at the University of Texas at El Paso; Colleen Y. Heller, BA, is a postbaccalaureate student in the Department of Psychology at CSU San Marcos; Cynthia Garcia, BA, was an undergraduate student in the Department of Psychology at CSU San Marcos and is now at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri; and Melvin Bates, BA, was a graduate student in the Department of Psychology at CSU San Marcos and is now at Texas A&M University.