Acute and chronic effects of ketamine
upon human memory: a review
by
Morgan CJ, Curran HV.
Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit,
Sub-department of Clinical Health Psychology,
University College London, Gower Street,
London, WC1E 6BT, UK,
[email protected].
Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2006 Sep 28;

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Ketamine is attracting increasing research interest not only because of its powerful amnestic effects but also as a putative model of schizophrenia and as a substance with an expanding following of recreational users. OBJECTIVE: This article reviews the existing literature on the effects of acute ketamine on the memory of healthy volunteers and of repeated doses of ketamine in recreational users. CURRENT TRENDS: Although there have been relatively few, often methodologically diverse, studies to date of the mnemonic effects of ketamine, there is an emerging consensus that an acute dose of the drug impairs the manipulation of information in working memory and produces decrements in the encoding of information into episodic memory. Preliminary evidence suggests that ketamine may differ from other classic amnestic drugs in impairing aspects of semantic memory. Acute-on-chronic effects in ketamine users generally mimic the pattern seen in controlled studies with healthy volunteers. However, chronic ketamine use may be associated with a more specific pattern of memory decrements and with episodic memory impairment, which might not abate following cessation of use. FUTURE TRENDS: An important aim of future research should be to detail the specificity of ketamine's of ketamine's amnestic effects on both a neuropharmacological and a cognitive level.

Memory
Ketamine
Beyond the K-hole
Ketamine: structure
Ketamine and cognition
Anaesthesia and anaesthetics
Ketamine: long-term outcomes
Ketamine as an antidepressant
Ketamine: medical and non-medical use
The role of ketamine in pain management
Low-dose ketamine as a fast-onset, long-acting antidepressant