Ketamine is well known as a dangerous recreational drug, but when properly managed, it can help treat a variety of health problems. But new research raises questions about how carefully we should target ketamine treatment.
Researchers at Columbia University conducted a series of tests on mice and found that repeated use of ketamine over 10 days causes fundamental changes in the way the brain manages itself. dopaminea neurotransmitter that conveys feelings of pleasure and satisfaction.
The research team observed a decrease in dopamine neurons in some parts of the mice's brains.Other regions saw these increases neuron. If we continue to use ketamine as a treatment, we need a better understanding of these effects.
“Rather than bathing the entire brain in ketamine, as most treatments currently do, specific parts of the brain are exposed to ketamine to minimize unintended effects on other dopamine areas of the brain. Our whole-brain mapping data shows that targeting the brain is a safer approach. To tell Raju Tomar, a neurobiologist at Columbia University.
Results have never been collected at such a detailed level and over this period of time, so it's still early days in terms of revealing what ketamine is, or isn't, doing to our brains. It's in stages. Of course, these are experiments on mice, which is not the case. human.
However, researchers noticed a decrease in dopamine neurons. midbrain Responsible for mood regulation.That may be why long-term use of ketamine can cause symptoms seen in schizophrenia – Mood disorders.
On the contrary, an increase in dopamine neurons was observed. Hypothalamus The area where the basic functions of the body are managed.Perhaps that's why ketamine seems to help have an eating disorderresearchers suggest.
“The restructuring of the brain's dopamine system seen after repeated use of ketamine may be associated with changes in cognitive behavior over time.” To tell Mallika Dutta, a neurobiologist at Columbia University.
While researchers continue to address their findings regarding the use of ketamine and its potential effects, this is a decisive victory for the brain mapping technology used here. This technique actually combines different approaches to imaging and neuron labeling.
This is the first time that researchers have been able to see the effects of ketamine on the whole brain at the level of individual cells. However, it should be noted that only dopamine neurons were analyzed here, so we only know part of the picture of what's going on. .(Priscilla Zambot/Getty Images)
“This study opens up a new technological frontier in how to conduct high-resolution studies of the whole brain.” To tell Yanan Chen, a neurobiologist at Columbia University.
This study cell report.
