Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221004, China; Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221004, China; NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221004, China. Electronic address: hongxing.zhang@xzhmu.edu.cn.
2 papers in the library · 19 citations · publishing 2019-2023
Near-death experiences (NDE) involve enhanced perception and memory, and have been linked to a surge in high-frequency brain oscillations. In anesthetized rats dying from an overdose of chloral hydrate, a surge in beta and gamma band power occurred in the hippocampus, with gamma power specifically tied to impending death. Theta band power was suppressed. Cardiac arrest only developed after breathing stopped and all oscillatory activity collapsed, showing that the high-frequency surge is not exclusive to cardiac arrest. The gamma synchronization in the CA1 region may contribute to NDEs that occur both with and without cardiac arrest.
Adding retigabine, a KCNQ channel opener, to a low dose of ketamine that alone had no antidepressant effect produced a strong antidepressant effect in both male and female C57BL/6J mice in the forced swim test. Retigabine also prolonged the duration of ketamine's antidepressant effect. The findings suggest that adjunctive retigabine could enhance ketamine's antidepressant properties, potentially allowing lower ketamine doses and reducing its risk of dependence.