Lawrence S. Kegeles1,
2, Xiangling Mao3, Najate Ojeil1, Raffael Massuda1,
Mariana Pedrini1, Chi-Ming Chen4, Mark Slifstein1,
Anissa Abi-Dargham1, 2, Matthew S. Milak1,
Carolyn Rodriguez1, Dikoma C. Shungu3
1Psychiatry,
Columbia University, New York, NY, United States; 2Radiology,
Columbia University, New York, NY, United States; 3Radiology,
Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, United States; 4Psychology,
University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States
The effects on the brain of acute administration of ketamine are of current interest because of its psychotogenic and antidepressant properties. Rodent microdialysis studies have shown a surge in medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) glutamate (Glu) with acute ketamine administration. In this study we use J-edited MRS to follow the time course of both Glu and GABA surges in the MPFC in healthy human subjects following acute i.v. ketamine administration. We find that both neurochemicals surge and return to baseline in humans on a similar time scale to the extracellular levels in rodents.