Patients with moderate to severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms showed rapid and substantial relief with a single intravenous dose of ketamine in a pilot randomized trial, researchers said.
...
Barbara Rothbaum, PhD, head of Emory University's trauma and anxiety recovery program in Atlanta, told
MedPage Today in an email that the study breaks new ground in PTSD treatment.
"Ketamine has been shown to be
helpful for depression and obsessive compulsive disorder, but this is the first time it has been shown to be helpful for PTSD," said Rothbaum, who was not involved with the study.
Others in this field agreed that it was an important finding with strong clinical promise.
... The researchers said ketamine's precise mechanism of action for reducing PTSD symptoms was unknown. The drug antagonizes glutamate NMDA receptors; glutamate is believed to play a role in forming memories, including those of traumatic events. Thus, it is possible that the drug somehow disrupts the persistent fear and stress associated with such memories. Ketamine also has effects at the cellular level, boosting synaptic connections in the prefrontal cortex in rats, for example.
