Journal of psychopharmacology
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J. Psychopharmacol. (Oxford) · May 2007
ReviewLow dose ketamine: a therapeutic and research tool to explore N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-mediated plasticity in pain pathways.
Ketamine is a dissociative anaesthetic that has been used in the clinic for many years. At low, sub-anaesthetic doses, it is a relatively selective and potent antagonist of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor. It belongs to the class of uncompetitive antagonists and blocks the receptor by binding to a specific site within the NMDA receptor channel when it is open. ⋯ Hence, clinical use of ketamine as a pain treatment is very limited. Nevertheless, ketamine has served as a useful tool to provide a compelling rationale for developing other NMDA antagonists. Some of the new compounds of this class, particularly those acting at the NR2B subtype of the NMDA receptor, have shown promise in preclinical and clinical studies.