New research sheds light on how ketamine affects the brain by targeting a specific NMDA receptor subtype, GluN1-2B-2D.

Ketamine has received a Hollywood makeover. It used to be known as a rave drug (street name special K) and cat anesthetic.

B-2D, a brain receptor targeted by ketamine. Using cryo-EM, they visualize how ketamine binds to the receptor, controlling its ion channel activity.

Like a lock and key, ketamine binds to the brain via N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. NMDA receptors are all over the brain and are essential in maintaining consciousness. The study came ...

Now ketamine, a glutamatergic NMDA receptor antagonist, may provide a mechanism that could link these pathways. Figure 1: A schematic of how ketamine may lead to an overall excitation in the cortex.

The interplay of opiate and NMDA glutamate receptors may contribute to psychosis, cognitive function, alcoholism, and substance dependence. Ketamine and ethanol block the NMDA glutamate receptor.

The manufacturer of AV-101, an investigational, oral nonopioid, NMDA-targeting therapy to treat neuropathic pain, announced ...

One main class of these drugs, which includes propofol and the ether-derivative sevoflurane, work primarily by increasing the activity of inhibitory GABAA receptors, while a second class that includes ...

Ketamine has long been seen as a potential ... It works on the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor, an ionotropic glutamate receptor in the brain, and is used alongside a newly prescribed oral ...

NMDA receptors, members of the excitatory ionotropic glutamate receptor family, are essential to these processes. They regulate the strength of synaptic connections, playing a critical role in ...