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Letters to the Editor
Published Online: 3 December 2010

Ketamine and Memory Loss

Publication: Psychiatric News
Volume 45, Number 23
https://doi.org/10.1176/pn.45.23.psychnews_45_23_047
In the article “Bipolar-Depression Improvement Follows Ketamine Infusion” in the September 17 issue, dissociation is described as a common side effect of ketamine. Actually, dissociation based on the loss of short-term memory has long been considered a major effect of ketamine. This function even led to the use of Sernyl, a ketamine, as an animal anesthetic. For a short time, there was also some experimentation with its use in pediatric surgery.
Instead of researchers' dismissing dissociation as an unrelated side effect of ketamine, it might be of interest to study the antidepressant effects of short-term memory loss. Such a study would be of special interest because of the possible link between the antidepressive effects of ECT and post-ECT memory loss.
In my book Multiple Realities in Clinical Practice, I have written about the effects of a ketamine, specifically Sernyl, on human subjects.
JOHN S. KAFKA, M.D. Bethesda, Md.

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Psychiatric News
Volume 45 • Number 23 • December 3, 2010
Pages: 37

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Published online: 3 December 2010
Published in print: December 3, 2010

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