Neurobiological Mechanisms of Ketamine Use, its Addiction, and Withdrawal: A Mini Review.
Current reviews in clinical and experimental pharmacology March 3, 2025 Sin Hui Ng, Yu Zhao Lee, Ming Ye Hong et al. 2 citations
Ketamine, an anesthetic and dissociative drug, can lead to addiction and severe withdrawal symptoms. It alters brain networks, particularly the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and mesolimbic pathway, affecting decision-making, memory, and reward processing. The drug's addictive potential involves neurotransmitter systems, specifically glutamate and dopamine, and neuroadaptive changes during withdrawal. Low-dose ketamine may also alter cortisol secretion and dysregulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which may relate to its repurposing as a fast-acting antidepressant. Side effects include heart and blood vessel instability, respiratory depression, liver injury, and hallucinations. Understanding these neurobiological processes is essential for developing treatments for ketamine addiction and managing withdrawal.