Abstract
Initially used as an analgesic and anesthetic, ketamine has unfortunately been abused as a popular recreational party drug due to its psychotropic effects. Over the last decade, ketamine has also emerged as an effective rapid-onset anti-depressant. The increasingly widespread use and misuse of the drug in infants and pregnant women has posed a concern about the neurotoxicity of ketamine to the immature brains of developing fetuses and children. In this review, we summarize recent research findings on major possible mechanisms of perinatal ketamine-induced neurotoxicity. We also briefly summarize the neuroprotective effects of ketamine in the presence of noxious stimuli. Future actions include implementation of more drug abuse education and prevention campaigns to raise the public’s awareness of the harmful effects of ketamine abuse; further investigations to justify the clinical use of ketamine as analgesic, anesthetic and anti-depressant; and further studies to develop alternatives to ketamine or treatments that can alleviate the detrimental effects of ketamine use, especially in infants and pregnant women.
Highlights
Effects of Perinatal Exposure to Ketamine on the Developing BrainEdited by: Tod Edward Kippin, University of California, Santa Barbara, United States
Ketamine is an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist that has analgesic and anesthetic effects with rapid onset and short duration of action (Domino et al, 1965)
In the frontal cortex of postnatal day (PND) 5 monkeys exposed to ketamine, electron micrographs revealed both apoptotic and necrotic features (Slikker et al, 2007). This is in line with the findings in frontal cortical culture from PND 3 rhesus monkeys and human embryonic stem cells, where cellular release of Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) was elevated upon exposure to high concentrations of ketamine for long durations (Wang et al, 2006; Bosnjak et al, 2012)
Summary
Edited by: Tod Edward Kippin, University of California, Santa Barbara, United States. Effects of Perinatal Exposure to Ketamine on the Developing Brain. Used as an analgesic and anesthetic, ketamine has been abused as a popular recreational party drug due to its psychotropic effects. The increasingly widespread use and misuse of the drug in infants and pregnant women has posed a concern about the neurotoxicity of ketamine to the immature brains of developing fetuses and children. We summarize recent research findings on major possible mechanisms of perinatal ketamine-induced neurotoxicity. Future actions include implementation of more drug abuse education and prevention campaigns to raise the public’s awareness of the harmful effects of ketamine abuse; further investigations to justify the clinical use of ketamine as analgesic, anesthetic and anti-depressant; and further studies to develop alternatives to ketamine or treatments that can alleviate the detrimental effects of ketamine use, especially in infants and pregnant women
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