Referenced in: none

Automatically associated channels: Kir2.3

Title: Ketamine-Induced Modulation of the Thalamo-Cortical Network in Healthy Volunteers As a Model for Schizophrenia.

Authors: Anna Höflich, Andreas Hahn, Martin Küblböck, Georg S Kranz, Thomas Vanicek, Christian Windischberger, Alois Saria, Siegfried Kasper, Dietmar Winkler, Rupert Lanzenberger

Journal, date & volume: Int. J. Neuropsychopharmacol., 2015 Jul , 18,

PubMed link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25896256

Abstract
Schizophrenia has been associated with disturbances of thalamic functioning. In light of recent evidence suggesting a significant impact of the glutamatergic system on key symptoms of schizophrenia, we assessed whether modulation of the glutamatergic system via blockage of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-receptor might lead to changes of thalamic functional connectivity.Based on the ketamine model of psychosis, we investigated changes in cortico-thalamic functional connectivity by intravenous ketamine challenge during a 55-minute resting-state scan. Thirty healthy volunteers were measured with pharmacological functional magnetic resonance imaging using a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover design.Functional connectivity analysis revealed significant ketamine-specific changes within the thalamus hub network, more precisely, an increase of cortico-thalamic connectivity of the somatosensory and temporal cortex.Our results indicate that changes of thalamic functioning as described for schizophrenia can be partly mimicked by NMDA-receptor blockage. This adds substantial knowledge about the neurobiological mechanisms underlying the profound changes of perception and behavior during the application of NMDA-receptor antagonists.