Cited by 229Treatment of Major DepressionNeuroscience and Neuropharmacology ResearchElectroconvulsive Therapy Studies

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 61 of the 61 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; 32 of the 44 sources its claims cite were checked for support.

The effects of ketamine on prefrontal glutamate neurotransmission in healthy and depressed subjects

Open access

Abstract

The ability of ketamine administration to activate prefrontal glutamate neurotransmission is thought to be a key mechanism contributing to its transient psychotomimetic effects and its delayed and sustained antidepressant effects. Rodent studies employing carbon-13 magnetic resonance spectroscopy ( 13 C MRS) methods have shown ketamine and other N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonists to transiently increase measures reflecting glutamate-glutamine cycling and glutamate neurotransmission in the frontal cortex. However, there are not yet direct measures of glutamate neurotransmission in vivo in humans to support these hypotheses. The current first-level pilot study employed a novel prefrontal 13 C MRS approach similar to that used in the rodent studies for direct measurement of ketamine effects on glutamate-glutamine cycling. Twenty-one participants (14 healthy and 7 depressed) completed two 13 C MRS scans during infusion of normal saline or subanesthetic doses of ketamine. Compared to placebo, ketamine increased prefrontal glutamate-glutamine cycling, as indicated by a 13% increase in 13 C glutamine enrichment (t = 2.4, p = 0.02). We found no evidence of ketamine effects on oxidative energy production, as reflected by 13 C glutamate enrichment. During ketamine infusion, the ratio of 13 C glutamate/glutamine enrichments, a putative measure of neurotransmission strength, was correlated with the Clinician-Administered Dissociative States Scale (r = -0.54, p = 0.048). The…

Overview

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1038/s41386-018-0136-3

Cites

61 of 61 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Verification

Claims the paper makes

14 Own result · 12 Partly supported · 8 Own method · 8 Own interpretation · 7 Supported · 2 Supported so far · 2 Sources not found · 2 No full text of the sources · 1 Couldn’t confirm · accuracy not yet measured

Show all 36 claims

  • It may state two separate claims as one. 14
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 10
20 of 20
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    There are not yet direct measures of glutamate neurotransmission in vivo in humans to support the hypothesis that ketamine activates prefrontal glutamate neurotransmission.

    “However, there are not yet direct measures of glutamate neurotransmission in vivo in humans to support these hypotheses.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    A major obstacle in this field is the lack of biomarkers that directly reflect synaptic glutamate neurotransmission.

    “A major obstacle in this field is the lack of biomarkers that directly reflect synaptic glutamate neurotransmission.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Not a single RAAD or glutamate-based antipsychotic has been approved to treat depression or schizophrenia.

    “However, to date not a single RAAD or glutamate-based antipsychotic has been approved to treat depression or schizophrenia, although two decades have passed since the RAAD and psychotomimetic effects of ketamine were first reported in the 1990s [3,7].”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    In the model, healthy individuals with high sensitivity to ketamine (i.e., NMDAR hypofunction) would have higher blockade of synaptic NMDAR, leading to reduced postsynaptic activation per glutamate cycle, and subsequent increase in psychotomimetic symptoms.

    “In this model, healthy individuals with high sensitivity to ketamine (i.e., NMDAR hypofunction) would have higher blockade of synaptic NMDAR, leading to reduced postsynaptic activation per glutamate cycle, and subsequent increase in psychotomimetic symptoms.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The 13C glutamate/glutamine ratio reflects low EPC (excitatory postsynaptic current/glutamate cycling).

    “A possible explanation is that the low glutamate/glutamine enrichment ratio reflects low EPC.”
5 of 5

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1 of 1

Citations

Cites

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. Fukumoto K, Kato T, Li X-Y, Duman R. Role of BDNF/mTORC1 signaling in the long-lasting antidepressant effects of (2R,6R)-hydroxynorketamine. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2017;43:S111.

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Metadata

Authors
Abdallah, C. G., De Feyter, H. M., Averill, L. A., Jiang, L., Averill, C. L., Chowdhury, G. M. I., Purohit, P., de Graaf, R. A., Esterlis, I., Juchem, C., Pittman, B. P., Krystal, J. H., Rothman, D. L., Sanacora, G., & Mason, G. F.
Affiliations
  • United States Department of Veterans Affairs (US)
  • Yale University (US)
Corresponding author
Abdallah, Chadi G.
Venue
Neuropsychopharmacology
Published
2018-06-28
Volume
43
Issue
10
Pages
2154-2160
ISSN
  • 0893-133X (ISSN-L)
  • 1740-634X
OpenAlex
W2811499691
Cited by
229
References
58
Citations by year
2026: 25 · 2025: 33 · 2024: 25 · 2023: 30 · 2022: 39 · 2021: 27 · 2020: 26 · 2019: 20 · 2018: 4
FWCI
12.42
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Neuropsychopharmacology (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Mental Health (MH101498)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology (medical) › Treatment of Major Depression
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Electroconvulsive Therapy Studies
Keywords
ketamine, prefrontal cortex, glutamatergic neurotransmission, depression, NMDA receptor antagonists, 13C NMR, psychotomimetic effects, antidepressant effects, dissociative states
MeSH terms
Adult, Aged, Antidepressive Agents, Depressive Disorder, Energy Metabolism, Female, Glutamates, Hallucinogens, Humans, Ketamine, Male, Middle Aged, Synaptic Transmission, Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy, Pilot Projects, Prefrontal Cortex, Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists, Young Adult, Healthy Volunteers

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