PTSD Symptoms May Be Prevented With Ketamine

PTSD Symptoms May Be Prevented With Ketamine
Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers have found that a single dose of ketamine, given one week before a stressful event, can buffer against a heightened fear response.

The study, conducted in mice, suggests that prophylactic administration of ketamine—a drug commonly used as a general anesthetic or a rapid-acting antidepressant—might prevent post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in soldiers and others who subsequently experience psychological trauma.

The study was published online in January in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology.
Journal article:
https://www.nature.com/npp/journal/v42/n8/full/npp201719a.html

Source and further reading:
http://newsroom.cumc.columbia.edu/blog/2017/02/08/ptsd-symptoms-may-prevented-ketamine/

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