Behind the Buzz: How Ketamine Changes the Depressed Patient’s Brain

Using cutting-edge technology to visualize and manipulate the brains of stressed mice, the study reveals how ketamine first induces changes in brain circuit function, improving “depressed” mice’s behavior within three hours, and only later stimulating regrowth of synapses. The researchers found that eliminating newly formed synapses in ketamine-treated mice abolished some of the drug’s positive effects, two days after treatment, confirming that new synapses are needed to maintain benefits. This test was unaffected by deleting newly formed spines, suggesting that the formation of new synapses in the mPFC is important for some symptoms, such as apathy, but not others (anhedonia)—and that different aspects of depression involve a variety of brain circuits.

Source: www.scientificamerican.com