Ketamine Treatment

Ketamine is known as an NMDA receptor antagonist. Many researchers are still searching for exactly how the medication can affect mood so rapidly and effectively, but what we do know is that ketamine works on glutamate, one of the most numerous neurotransmitters in the body. This increase in glutamate can cause a cascade effect of increased neural activity and communication in the brain. The areas of the brain which have shut down due to over-anxiety and depression, are suddenly awakened. Ketamine causes neuroplasticity, or new neural growth, a “rewiring” of the brain believed to play a big part in the lasting anti-depressant effects.

We know that ketamine is not only working on the NMDA receptor, but ketamine is also working on other receptors such as GABA receptors, G protein-coupled receptors, and a small effect on cholinergic Mu receptors. Along with reversing neuronal atrophy, ketamine also has an anti-inflammatory effect. Interestingly, the dissociative effects of ketamine are believed to play a part in the healing process as well. When given appropriately and titrated in the right doses by a trained provider, ketamine’s multiple mechanisms of action create a powerful, effective treatment for a variety of chronic mental illness and pain conditions.