Ketamine is known to many as an anesthetic for humans, but it is also commonly used in veterinarian science. Ketamine is an odorless and tasteless drug. It can cause amnesia when used on humans or animals. It can also cause hallucinations and a feeling of a floating sensation in the body when taken by humans.
New research on mice has shown a benefit to the known anesthetic. Researchers from the University of Tokyo in Japan, Standford University in California, and Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City have been studying the effects of the drug. The research discovered suggests that it helps reduce signs of depression or depressive disorder. Long run effects are still to be up in the air. The mice that were showing signs of depression, were the one’s scientist paid close attention to.
A stress response to the mice helps scientist understand what to look for when researching and understanding this topic. When stress occurs “poorer connectivity and coordination of neural activity in the prefrontal cortex” happens in the mice brain, states Maria Cohut in the article. Ketamine then had injected into the mice and the mice gained connectivity and activity. Ketamine boosts activity in the frontal cortex of the human brain.
The research will help us understand diseases and figure out new ways to fight it. This could be a breakthrough in the study of mood disorders.
