Ketamine amplifies induced gamma frequency oscillations in the human cerebral cortex

Abstract At subanaesthetic doses, ketamine, an N-methyl- d -aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, has demonstrated remarkable and rapid antidepressant efficacy in patients with treatment-resistant depression. The mechanism of action of ketamine is complex and not fully understood, with altered gluta...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:European neuropsychopharmacology 2015-08, Vol.25 (8), p.1136-1146
Main Authors: Shaw, Alexander D, Saxena, Neeraj, E. Jackson, Laura, Hall, Judith E, Singh, Krish D, Muthukumaraswamy, Suresh D
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Antidepressive Agents - pharmacology
Beta Rhythm - drug effects
Beta Rhythm - physiology
Cross-Over Studies
Gamma oscillations
Gamma Rhythm - drug effects
Humans
Internal Medicine
Ketamine
Ketamine - pharmacology
Magnetoencephalography
Male
Motor Activity - drug effects
Motor Activity - physiology
Motor cortex
Motor Cortex - drug effects
Motor Cortex - physiology
NMDA receptor
Psychiatry
Single-Blind Method
Visual cortex
Visual Cortex - drug effects
Visual Cortex - physiology
Visual Perception - drug effects
Visual Perception - physiology
Young Adult
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Summary:Abstract At subanaesthetic doses, ketamine, an N-methyl- d -aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, has demonstrated remarkable and rapid antidepressant efficacy in patients with treatment-resistant depression. The mechanism of action of ketamine is complex and not fully understood, with altered glutamatergic function and alterations of high-frequency oscillatory power ( Wood et al., 2012 ) noted in animal studies. Here we used magnetoencephalography (MEG) in a single blind, crossover study to assess the neuronal effects of 0.5 mg/kg intravenous ketamine on task-related high-frequency oscillatory activity in visual and motor cortices. Consistent with animal findings, ketamine increased beta amplitudes, decreased peak gamma frequency in visual cortex and significantly amplified gamma-band amplitudes in motor and visual cortices. The amplification of gamma-band activity has previously been linked in animal studies to cortical pyramidal cell disinhibition. This study provides direct translatable evidence of this hypothesis in humans, which may underlie the anti-depressant actions of ketamine.
ISSN:0924-977X
1873-7862
DOI:10.1016/j.euroneuro.2015.04.012