Acute effects of intranasal esketamine application on thalamic structures in healthy individuals.
The international journal of neuropsychopharmacology June 6, 2025 Benjamin Spurny-Dworak, Thomas Liebe, Samantha Graf et al. 2 citations
A single subanesthetic dose of intranasal esketamine rapidly increases the volume of specific right thalamic structures in healthy young adults. In a placebo-controlled crossover study with 26 participants, magnetic resonance imaging revealed significant enlargement of the right thalamus, the pulvinar anterior nucleus, and the right mediodorsal lateral parvocellular nucleus after esketamine administration. These structural changes occurred in thalamic regions that relay visual information to the cortex, suggesting that ketamine's effects on visual perception may arise from rapid adaptations in these brain areas. The findings highlight the thalamus as a key target for modeling schizophrenia symptoms and understanding ketamine's mechanism of action.