What exactly is it that makes ketamine therapy “work” on mental health disorders such as depression? How does ketamine therapy work in the brain? A study co-lead and co-seniored by Alex Proekt, MD, PhD, an associate professor of Anesthesiology and Critical Care at Penn, shows how researchers found the “Switch” that ketamine activates in the brain.
Ketamine Therapy Neuroscience
The “switch” was located in the NMDA receptors and ion channels (HCN channels) in the brain. Neuro-electrical activity is blocked at this junction in the brain’s neurons while under the effect of ketamine. Researchers then surmised that they could induce the same effect on these receptors and channels without ketamine or other chemical stimuli.
Their theories were proven correct when they were able to recreate ketamine’s effects in the brain without administering the drug, instead by inhibiting the specific neuroreceptors.
Psychedelic Therapy Without Ketamine?
The miraculous new idea that has been drawn from this study is that in the future, researchers and therapists may be able to induce psychedelic therapy (like is done in ketamine therapy clinics), but without having to administer ketamine itself.
Though the research is still in its infancy, this adds to the already numerous studies into ketamine therapy that therapeutic potentials for depression, anxiety, mood disorders, and many other mental health conditions.
The Science of Dissociation
The study also noted that while some neurotransmitters were blocked by ketamine, other areas were activated with the use of ketamine. It is thought that this is what provides the “Wakefulness” of psychedelic experiences and the euphoria associated with dissociative effects. The mind is simultaneously activated and deactivated in all the right regions to allow a state where the ego can be suppressed and the individual gains spiritual insight.
Cichon, J., Wasilczuk, A.Z., Looger, L.L. et al. Ketamine triggers a switch in excitatory neuronal activity across neocortex. Nat Neurosci 26, 39–52 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-022-01203-5