Ketamine on Implicit vs. Explicit Memory

In this study, we examined the impact of an antidepressant dose of ketamine on the encoding, retrieval, and modulation of fear and spatial memory in adult Wistar rats. Ketamine (10 mg/kg, IP) was administered during specific phases of Pavlovian fear conditioning (implicit memory) and the Morris Water Maze (MWM; explicit memory). While it partially impaired fear extinction when administered before acquisition or retrieval, it enhanced memory modulation and improved performance during MWM reversal training. These findings suggest that ketamine selectively influences memory modulation without impairing the encoding or retrieval of fear or spatial memory.
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