The Effects of Ketamine on Methamphetamine Withdrawal-Induced Anxiety and Drug-Seeking Behaviors in the Rat
bioRxiv Preprint Server – June 24, 2025
Source: bioRxiv
Summary
Methamphetamine withdrawal often brings severe anxiety and intense drug-seeking behaviors. Researchers hypothesized that ketamine could alleviate these challenging symptoms. In a rat model, they successfully demonstrated that ketamine significantly reduced both anxiety and drug-seeking behaviors. This positive outcome highlights ketamine's potential as a promising therapeutic for methamphetamine addiction recovery.
Abstract
Background The use of methamphetamine has continued to rise in the US. In addition to facilitating dopamine neurotransmission, methamphetamine indirectly increases glutamate release which activates N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs). Ketamine is a noncompetitive NMDAR antagonist. Ketamine also has actions on α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptors (AMPARs) and promotes synaptogenesis. Thus, we hypothesized that ketamine may be a potential therapeutic to reduce methamphetamine-seeking behaviors and associated negative affect in a rat model.