Chronic, non-medical use of ketamine is associated with widespread thinning of the brain's outer layer, the cortex. Compared with healthy controls, 95 people with ketamine use disorder showed reduced cortical thickness in many regions, most extensively in the frontal and parietal lobes, including the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and precuneus. No areas of increased thickness were observed. Greater estimated lifetime ketamine consumption correlated with thinner cortex in the right inferior parietal and right rostral middle frontal regions. These findings highlight potential long-term structural brain changes from non-medical ketamine use and serve as a reference for its antidepressant use.
Long-term, non-medical use of ketamine is associated with reduced gray matter in the dorsal prefrontal cortex, and this study investigated whether similar cortical thinning occurs. Chronic ketamine users showed cortical thickness abnormalities compared to non-users, suggesting that recreational ketamine use may lead to structural brain changes beyond gray matter volume loss. The findings indicate potential neurotoxic effects of sustained illicit ketamine use on brain health, as observed through MRI scans.