Ketamine: New Potential as Rapid PTSD Treatment

The first evidence from a randomized clinical trial that the anesthetic agent ketamine may provide rapid symptom reduction in patients with chronic posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) when delivered intravenously has been published.

An N-methyl-D-asparate (NMDA) glutamate receptor, ketamine has made headlines in recent years because several trials conducted by investigators at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City have shown that it delivers a rapid antidepressant effect when delivered intravenously and, most recently, intranasally in spray form.