Widespread reductions in cortical thickness following ketamine abuse.
Journal of psychiatry & neuroscience : JPN January 1, 2024 Jinsong Tang, Qiuxia Wu, Chang Qi et al. 7 citations
Chronic, non-medical use of ketamine is associated with widespread thinning of the brain's outer layer, the cortex. Compared with healthy controls, 95 people with ketamine use disorder showed reduced cortical thickness in many regions, most extensively in the frontal and parietal lobes, including the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and precuneus. No areas of increased thickness were observed. Greater estimated lifetime ketamine consumption correlated with thinner cortex in the right inferior parietal and right rostral middle frontal regions. These findings highlight potential long-term structural brain changes from non-medical ketamine use and serve as a reference for its antidepressant use.