New discovery antidepressant

 New Findings on Ketamine's Effects in the Brain

According to the New York State Office of Alcoholism & Substance Abuse Services, a ketamine research study published in the Journal of Science examined the drug's effects on the brain's chemical processes. Results showed ketamine blocks certain nerve cell receptor sites, while stimulating the production of new neural synapses within the brain's prefrontal cortex region.

The prefrontal cortex region regulates complex cognitive processes, such as thinking emotions and behavior. In effect, an increase in neural synapses makes it easier for the brain to:

* See the world in different ways

* React to external events in different ways

* Produce new behavioral responses

Once fully understood, these effects can go a long way towards helping recovering addicts better understand and incorporate the principles of recovery into their daily lives. 

Psychotherapy Benefits

Ketamine's hallucinatory effects are often described as transcendent, providing users with insights into life and existence. According to Masarykovy Univerzity, ketamine research studies conducted between the years 2003 and 2005 found ketamine-induced hallucinations to provide transpersonal benefits in terms of their ability to alter a person's perception and overall understanding of his or her life experience.

These benefits all but mirror the goals of traditional psychotherapy approaches, such as cognitive-behavioral and dialectic therapies in addiction treatment. In effect, ketamine's ability to “reframe” a person's perceptions holds considerable promise as a means for helping recovering addicts overcome or see past the destructive mindset and behaviors that addiction breeds. 

Recent Ketamine Research on Depression & Drug Withdrawal

         While the immediate effects of drug detox withdrawal in any form only last seven to 10 days, it's not uncommon for symptoms of depression to persist for months into the recovery process. Subsequently, persistent feelings of depression pose an ongoing risk of relapse for those in recovery.

Recent ketamine research studies conducted by the National Institutes of Health in 2006 show a low doses of ketamine provided considerable relief from depression symptoms within two hours' time, with effects lasting for up to seven days. From an addiction recovery standpoint, these results open up new possibilities for treating  drug  withdrawal as well as the types of long-term depression symptoms experienced in recovery.