S100B+ Astrocytes Are Altered in the Mouse Brain Upon Ketamine Challenge: Implications for the Symptoms of Schizophrenia.
Journal of biochemical and molecular toxicology December 1, 2025 Nimmi Varghese, Aadithye Ravikumar Nair, Parayil Sobha Anumol et al.
Ketamine, an NMDA receptor antagonist used to model schizophrenia in mice, causes changes in S100B+ astrocytes in the brain. Mice given ketamine for 10 days showed astrocyte activation and morphological shifts from ramified to amoeboid forms in the cerebral cortex and olfactory lobes, along with increased numbers of S100B+ astrocytes in those regions. The hippocampus showed activation but no increase in astrocyte number. In cultured LN229 glial cells, ketamine increased S100B expression. These findings link astrocyte alterations to schizophrenia symptoms.