Cited by 147Functional Brain Connectivity StudiesAnesthesia and Sedative AgentsPain Management and Placebo Effect

Effect of Subanesthetic Ketamine on Intrinsic Functional Brain Connectivity: A Placebo-controlled Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study in Healthy Male Volunteers

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Niesters, Marieke, Khalili-Mahani, Najmeh, Martini, Christian, Aarts, Leon, van Gerven, Joop, van Buchem, Mark A., Dahan, Albert, Rombouts, Serge·2012·Anesthesiology

Abstract

Background: The influence of psychoactive drugs on the central nervous system has been investigated with positron emission tomography and task-related functional magnetic resonance imaging. However, it is not known how these drugs affect the intrinsic large-scale interactions of the brain (resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging connectivity). In this study, the effect of low-dose S(+)-ketamine on intrinsic brain connectivity was investigated. Methods: Twelve healthy, male volunteers received a 2-h intravenous S(+)-ketamine infusion (first hour 20 mg/70 kg, second hour 40 mg/70 kg). Before, during, and after S(+)-ketamine administration, resting-state brain connectivity was measured. In addition, heat pain tests were performed between imaging sessions to determine ketamine-induced analgesia. A mixed-effects general linear model was used to determine drug and pain effects on resting-state brain connectivity. Results: Ketamine increased the connectivity most importantly in the cerebellum and visual cortex in relation to the medial visual network. A decrease in connectivity was observed in the auditory and somatosensory network in relation to regions responsible for pain sensing and the affective processing of pain, which included the amygdala, insula, and anterior cingulate cortex. Connectivity variations related to fluctuations in pain scores were observed in the anterior cingulate cortex, insula, orbitofrontal cortex, and the brainstem, regions involved in descending inhibition of pain. Conclusions: Changes in connectivity were observed in the areas that explain ketamine's pharmacodynamic profile with respect to analgesia and psychedelic and other side effects. In addition, pain and ketamine changed brain connectivity in areas involved in endogenous pain modulation.

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  • Ketamine counters the hyper-excitatory state in ascending pain circuitry through NMDAR inhibition while also enhancing activity in brain regions involved in top-down pain inhibition, such as the prefrontal cortex and brainstem.

    “ketamine counters the hyper-excitatory state present in ascending pain circuitry through NMDAR inhibition while also enhancing the activity of brain regions involved in top-down inhibition of pain centers such as the PFC and brainstem (Niesters et al., 2012).”

    From Mechanisms of ketamine and its metabolites as antidepressants (2022) · cites this paper as Niesters et al., 2012

    The PAIN MEDICINE section identifies ketamine as an NMDA receptor antagonist and links pain relief to increased connectivity in the orbitofrontal cortex and brainstem, regions involved in descending pain inhibition. The RSN Connectivity on Pain Processing section attributes that connectivity change to variation in pain scores, not simply to a drug-induced increase in activity. The paper does not establish that ketamine counters a hyper-excitatory state in ascending pain circuitry through NMDA receptor inhibition. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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Authors
Niesters, M., Khalili-Mahani, N., Martini, C., Aarts, L., van Gerven, J., van Buchem, M. A., Dahan, A., & Rombouts, S.
Affiliations
  • PhD Student.
  • Senior Research Associate.
  • PhD Student, Resident.
  • Leiden University Medical Center (NL)
  • Professor, Department of Neurology, Leiden University Medical Center, and Center for Human Drug Research, Leiden, The Netherlands.
  • Professor, Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC) and Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center.
  • Leiden University (NL)
Venue
Anesthesiology
Published
2012-10-01
Volume
117
Issue
4
Pages
868-877
ISSN
0003-3022 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2056836466
Cited by
147
References
50
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 17 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 12 · 2017: 11 · 2016: 13 · 2015: 18 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 10
FWCI
6.21
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Anesthesiology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion)
  • Leiden Repository (Leiden University) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Functional Brain Connectivity Studies
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine › Anesthesia and Sedative Agents
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Pain Management and Placebo Effect
Keywords
subanesthetic ketamine, resting-state functional connectivity, intrinsic brain connectivity, ketamine analgesia, pain modulation, cerebellum, visual cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, insula, amygdala, descending pain inhibition, psychedelic effects, ketamine side effects
MeSH terms
Adult, Anesthetics, Dissociative, Brain, Data Interpretation, Statistical, Hallucinogens, Hot Temperature, Humans, Image Processing, Computer-Assisted, Injections, Intravenous, Ketamine, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Nerve Net, Pain, Pain Measurement, Linear Models, Single-Blind Method, Young Adult

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