Ketamine relieves pain without 'disconnecting' consciousness, study finds

Ketamine relieves pain without 'disconnecting' consciousness, study finds

An imaging study in humans led by Tel Aviv University's Institute for Psychedelic Research, in collaboration with TAU-affiliated Tel Aviv Medical Center (Ichilov), found that the pain relief provided by ketamine does not result from the sense of dissociation—a detachment from oneself, body or surroundings, induced by the drug. The findings, indicating that pain relief and the effect on consciousness are based on different brain mechanisms, may h…