Ketamine Alters Specific Gene Expression Profiles by Transcriptome-Wide Responses in a Ketamine-Induced Schizophrenia-Like Mouse Model.
Molecular neurobiology February 24, 2025 Zhe Du, Xiu-Mei Zhu, Peng Lv et al. 2 citations
Blocking dopamine D1 receptor (Drd1) activity with an antagonist reduced ketamine-induced schizophrenia-like behaviors in mice, while activating Drd1 with an agonist partly reproduced those symptoms. Transcriptome analysis of the mouse hippocampus identified changes in genes involved in the GTPase activation pathway, including Rgs4 and Gnai3. Two weeks after ketamine administration, Gnai3 mRNA expression decreased in peripheral blood and serum levels of eotaxin-2 increased. These molecular changes suggest Gnai3 and eotaxin-2 may serve as potential peripheral biomarkers for ketamine abuse. The findings demonstrate Drd1 activity's crucial role in ketamine-induced psychotic-like disorder in a mouse model.