Environmental enrichment enhances the antidepressant effect of ketamine and ameliorates spatial memory deficits in adult rats.
Pharmacology, biochemistry, and behavior July 1, 2024 Deren Aykan, Mert Genc, Gunes Unal 8 citations
Combining environmental enrichment with ketamine produces a synergistic antidepressant effect in adult male Wistar rats. Environmental enrichment also reversed spatial memory deficits caused by ketamine in the Morris water maze. Enhanced neuronal activity was observed in the habenula of rats housed in an enriched environment alone after the probe trial, but not in enriched animals that also received ketamine. The findings suggest that sensory-motor stimulation can boost ketamine's antidepressant properties while reducing cognitive side effects, pointing to the potential of pairing pharmacological and environmental interventions for mood disorders.