Caitlyn J Bartsch, Sophia Aaflaq, Jessica T Jacobs, Molly Smith, Fletcher Summa, Savannah Skinner, Elana Qasem, Rylee Thompson, Zheng Li, Jacob C Nordman
Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic that has been shown to have antidepressant effects in humans and has been proposed as a potential treatment for mood disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder and aggression. However, previous studies from our lab and others have demonstrated that ketamine's effects are highly context- and dose-dependent. In a recent study, we found that 10 mg/kg ketamine could exacerbate the effects of early life stress on excessive aggression in mice. To further investigate, the effect of ketamine on moods, such as fear, anxiety, depression, and aggression, we used a mouse model of early life stress, involving chronic social isolation followed by acute traumatic stress in the form of noncontingent, unpredictable foot shock during adolescence...
June 15, 2023: Behavioral Neuroscience