"Since its introduction more than 50 years ago, ketamine has proven itself to be a safe and useful agent for use as anesthesia, and-more recently, and at lower doses-as an effective psychiatric drug. At sub-anesthetic doses (sufficient to achieve a therapeutic effect but not enough to anesthetize a patient), ketamine has been increasingly used to treat depression, with good results, particularly in cases where other treatments have failed."
"Its rapid onset makes it an especially effective tool for treatment-resistant major depression and post- traumatic stress disorder. Now, emerging evidence provides hope that it may also be effective in improving function in patients with cognitive deficits. Neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, and traumatic brain injury are frequently accompanied by cognitive deficits that profoundly affect a patient's daily functioning."
Ketamine at sub-anesthetic, low doses induces neuroplasticity and can facilitate brain reorganization. Low-dose ketamine has rapid antidepressant effects and is effective for treatment-resistant major depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Emerging evidence indicates low-dose ketamine may improve cognitive function in patients with neurological disorders that cause deficits, including Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, and traumatic brain injury. Existing cognitive remediation therapies mainly compensate for lost abilities, while ketamine could potentially restore functions by enhancing neuroplasticity. Many neurological disorders include comorbid depression, and ketamine treatment for depression has been associated with cognitive benefits in psychiatric populations.
Read at Psychology Today
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