NMDA Antagonist-Induced Neurotoxicity and Psychosis
January 1, 2002 K. Noguchi
NMDA antagonists such as ketamine, PCP, and MK-801 were initially investigated as anesthetics with quick onset and short duration that preserved brainstem reflexes. However, they paradoxically induced arousal and seizures while selectively depressing neocortical areas and stimulating limbic areas on EEG, leading to their classification as dissociative anesthetics. These drugs also produce a model psychosis resembling schizophrenia, including both positive and negative symptoms, making them a more complete animal model for the disease than dopamine agonists, which only induce positive symptoms.