New type of brain state

Quote:

The findings arose as part of a larger research project into Huntington's disease, a condition that stops the brain working properly. The team want to understand why human patients respond differently to various drugs if they carry the gene for this disease. Sheep were used because they are recognised as a suitable pre-clinical model of disorders of the human nervous system, including Huntington's disease. Six of the sheep were given a single higher dose of ketamine, 24mg/kg. This is at the high end of the anaesthetic range. Initially, the same response was seen as with a lower dose. But within two minutes of administering the drug, the brain activity of five of these six sheep stopped completely, one of them for several minutes -- a phenomenon that has never been seen before. "This wasn't just reduced brain activity. After the high dose of ketamine the brains of these sheep completely stopped. We've never seen that before," said Morton. Although the anaesthetised sheep looked as though they were asleep, their brains had switched off. "A few minutes later their brains were functioning normally again -- it was as though they had just been switched off and on." The researchers think that this pause in brain activity may correspond to what ketamine abusers describe as the 'K-hole' -- a state of oblivion likened to a near-death experience, which is followed by a feeling of great serenity. The study is published today in the journal Scientific Reports.

Taken from: https://www.sciencedaily.com/release...0611094127.htm

It seems Ketamine can produce a flat EEG when the subject is alive. Also here:

Quote:

Most strikingly, when the animals were given high doses at one stage of the experiment, electroencephalography (EEG) readings of their cortical activity appeared to show brain activity turning off completely, in an instant.

Taken from: https://www.sciencealert.com/ketamin...er-seen-before

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