(RS)-ketamine
(RS)-ketamine is the racemic mixture of ketamine, containing equal parts of the R- and S-enantiomers.
(RS)-ketamine is the racemic mixture of ketamine, containing equal parts of the R- and S-enantiomers. It is a dissociative anesthetic with well-established clinical use in anesthesia, analgesia, and procedural sedation, and it has also attracted substantial interest for its rapid-acting antidepressant effects. Pharmacologically, ketamine is best known as an NMDA receptor antagonist, although its biological effects extend beyond glutamatergic signaling and can involve downstream changes in synaptic plasticity, stress-response pathways, and neuroimmune signaling.
In biomedical research, (RS)-ketamine is frequently studied as a neuroactive compound with context-dependent effects on behavior, pain, and seizure control. Recent work has examined its molecular actions in the hippocampus, its use in pediatric pain management, its role in treatment-resistant neuropsychiatric states, and its place among multi-drug regimens for refractory status epilepticus. These studies collectively reflect ketamine’s dual identity as both a clinically used anesthetic and a mechanistically complex research target.
Where the papers sit
8 papers from the last 6 months study (RS)-ketamine directly · updated from PubMed 1 Nov 2026
Study type 2 clinical trials · 1 observational · 3 human data · 2 unclassified
Themes one subject
Those 8 are all about one subject.
-
Ketamine Research Applications
Ketamine appears across acute and chronic pain, depression, psychosis-related neurobiology, and illicit-drug detection. Clinical work tests ketamine against stellate ganglion blocks, psychotherapy, and intranasal sufentanil, while laboratory studies examine JNK-dependent histone H3 phosphorylation and shared molecular pathways with xanomeline. Pediatric phantom limb pain and hair or pub detection broaden the scope beyond a single indication. No common therapeutic direction emerges; the cluster is united mainly by ketamine-related investigation.
Papers
The 8 papers from the last 6 months that study (RS)-ketamine directly, newest first, by theme and by study type. Study types come from PubMed publication types and MeSH headings.
By theme
Ketamine Research Applications (8)
- Assessing the use of ASAP-MS for Screening a UK Pub for Illicit Drug Substances. Journal of mass spectrometry : JMS · 13 Oct 2026 PMID 42864952
- Multi-center, randomized controlled efficacy and comparative-effectiveness study evaluating ketamine, stellate ganglion blocks, combination treatment, and sham treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury-associated headache: a study protocol. Pain management · 1 Oct 2026 PMID 42817839
- Ketamine assisted psychotherapy to reduce chronic neuropathic pain: A mixed-methods randomized pilot trial. Med (New York, N.Y.) · 13 Aug 2026 PMID 42594864
- Ketamine enhances histone H3 (Ser10) phosphorylation via JNK signaling and multi-omics profiling of the hippocampus in a psychotic-like mouse model. Behavioral and brain functions : BBF · 26 Jun 2026 PMID 42351237
- Management of Phantom Limb Pain Following Amputation in Pediatrics. American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitation · 25 Jun 2026 PMID 42348432
- Integrated micro-solid-phase extraction with miniature mass spectrometry for on-site detection of illicit drugs in human hair. Journal of chromatography. A · 19 Jun 2026 PMID 42320232
- Intranasal sufentanil versus ketamine for acute severe traumatic pain in children: protocol for a phase II randomised controlled trial (SUF-KET-PED). BMJ open · 20 May 2026 PMID 42161544
- Comparative network pharmacology analysis of ketamine and xanomeline in major depressive disorder: Shared and distinct molecular mechanisms. Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry · 9 May 2026 PMID 42105998
By study type
Clinical trials (2)
- Ketamine assisted psychotherapy to reduce chronic neuropathic pain: A mixed-methods randomized pilot trial. Med (New York, N.Y.) · 13 Aug 2026 PMID 42594864
- Intranasal sufentanil versus ketamine for acute severe traumatic pain in children: protocol for a phase II randomised controlled trial (SUF-KET-PED). BMJ open · 20 May 2026 PMID 42161544
Observational studies and case reports (1)
- Management of Phantom Limb Pain Following Amputation in Pediatrics. American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitation · 25 Jun 2026 PMID 42348432
Human data, design not indexed (3)
- Assessing the use of ASAP-MS for Screening a UK Pub for Illicit Drug Substances. Journal of mass spectrometry : JMS · 13 Oct 2026 PMID 42864952
- Integrated micro-solid-phase extraction with miniature mass spectrometry for on-site detection of illicit drugs in human hair. Journal of chromatography. A · 19 Jun 2026 PMID 42320232
- Comparative network pharmacology analysis of ketamine and xanomeline in major depressive disorder: Shared and distinct molecular mechanisms. Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry · 9 May 2026 PMID 42105998
Unclassified: not yet indexed with MeSH (2)
- Multi-center, randomized controlled efficacy and comparative-effectiveness study evaluating ketamine, stellate ganglion blocks, combination treatment, and sham treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury-associated headache: a study protocol. Pain management · 1 Oct 2026 PMID 42817839
- Ketamine enhances histone H3 (Ser10) phosphorylation via JNK signaling and multi-omics profiling of the hippocampus in a psychotic-like mouse model. Behavioral and brain functions : BBF · 26 Jun 2026 PMID 42351237
Written from 8 PubMed abstracts, each one listed by PMID above. Published: 2026-06-27. Last written: 2026-07-29 by GPT. Drafted by language models from published abstracts; not medical advice.