Ketamine Can Be a Go-To Anesthetic in Emergencies, but It May Affect Male and Female Brains Differently

In emergencies where conventional anesthetic options are unavailable, ketamine is frequently utilized to alleviate pain and rapidly induce unconsciousness. Researchers from the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) and the Allen Institute in Seattle have discovered that female brains in mice respond differently to ketamine during recovery compared to male brains.

Published in Science Advances, the study reveals that female mice release a stress hormone called corticosterone during recovery, which temporarily enhances brain plasticity. This hormone triggers a response in microglia, the brain's immune cells, causing them to interact with neurons and facilitate the rewiring of neural connections.

This female-specific response contrasts with the lack of similar brain changes in male mice. The findings contribute to the growing body of evidence that drugs, including ketamine, can have sex-specific effects on the brain. Study co-author Sandra Siegert emphasizes the surprising assumption that men and women react to drugs in identical ways, highlighting the need for further investigation into sex-specific differences in drug responses.