A recent Yale study has shed new light on the mechanism behind ketamine’s behavior as an antidepressant. Conducted by the Yale School of Medicine in collaboration with the University of Manchester and the National Center for Post-Tramautic Stress Disorder, the research was published in the journal Chronic Stress on Sept. 21, 2018.
The study found that the antidepressant behavior of ketamine is linked to increased connectivity, which refers to the linking of sets of neurons, in the prefrontal cortex — the region of the brain implicated in decision-making and personality expression.
“Those suffering from depression often have reduced functional connectivity in the frontal part of the brain,” said Chadi Abdallah, psychiatry professor at the medical school and corresponding author of the study. “Our study shows that ketamine treats depression by reversing this reduced connectivity in the prefrontal cortex.”
Originally posted in Yale News on Oct 23, 2018.
Comments