Brain damages in ketamine addicts as revealed by magnetic resonance imaging
Chunmei Ewang, Dong Ezheng, Jie Exu, Waiping Elam, D.t. Eyew
Frontiers in Neuroanatomy May 22, 2014 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2013.00023 via DOAJ
Summary
Chronic ketamine abuse causes diffuse brain damage visible on MRI. In 21 addicts with 0.5 to 12 years of use, lesions appeared in multiple brain regions after 2–4 years of addiction. Cortical atrophy was evident in the frontal, parietal, and occipital cortices. The pattern of injury differs from that caused by cocaine, heroin, or methamphetamine.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 21 |
| Population | Ketamine addicts |
| Topics | Addiction Ketamine |
| Keywords | Atrophy Brain Lesion |
| Citations | 123 |
| Key finding | Chronic ketamine abuse leads to cortical atrophy and lesions in the frontal, parietal, and occipital cortices, detectable by MRI after 2–4 years of addiction. |
Abstract
Ketamine, a known antagonist of N-methyl-D-aspartic (NMDA) glutamate receptors, had been used as an anesthetic particularly for pediatric or for cardiac patients. Unfortunately, ketamine has become an abusive drug in many parts of the world while chronic and prolonged usage led to damages of many organs including the brain. However, no studies on possible damages in the brains induced by chronic ketamine abuse have been documented in the human via neuroimaging. This paper described for the first time via employing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) the changes in ketamine addicts of 0.5 to 12 years and illustrated the possible brain regions susceptible to ketamine abuse. Twenty-one ketamine addicts were recruited and the results showed that the lesions in the brains of ketamine addicts were located in many regions which appeared 2-4 years after ketamine addiction. Cortical atrophy was usually evident in the frontal, parietal or occipital cortices of addicts. Such study confirmed that many brain regions in the human were susceptible to chronic ketamine injury and presented a diffuse effect of ketamine on the brain which might differ from other central nervous system (CNS) drugs, such as cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine.