The Comparative Sensitivity to Ketamine-Induced Neuronal Death in Juvenile and Adult Rats.
International journal of toxicology June 4, 2026 Sumit Sarkar, Gonçalo Gamboa da Costa, Kellie Woodling et al.
A single high dose of ketamine (100 mg/kg) caused neuronal necrosis in the retrosplenial cortex of adult female rats, but no such damage was observed in juvenile rats (postnatal days 21, 30, or 35) or in adult males. Adult females also had markedly higher serum levels of norketamine, the primary metabolite, which may explain the sex- and age-specific brain changes. These findings suggest that acute ketamine exposure does not increase susceptibility to neuronal death in juvenile rats compared to adults.