Rewarding Subjective Effects of the NMDAR Antagonist Nitrous Oxide (Laughing Gas) Are Moderated by Impulsivity and Depressive Symptoms in Healthy Volunteers.
The international journal of neuropsychopharmacology July 23, 2021 Sunjeev K Kamboj, Hannah Zhao, Luzia Troebinger et al.
Nitrous oxide (N2O), an anesthetic gas that blocks NMDA receptors, produces subjective rewarding effects similar to those of moderate-dose ketamine. Healthy volunteers randomly assigned to inhale 50% N2O reported liking and wanting effects comparable in size to those seen with ketamine. Impulsivity increased how much participants liked N2O, while depressive symptoms decreased how much they wanted more. These opposite directional influences suggest impulsivity may predispose and depression may protect against N2O abuse. N2O may serve as a safe substitute for ketamine in studying reward-related NMDA receptor function in humans.