Ketamine use causes same brain changes as schizophrenia in warning to US clinics doling out ‘special K’ – as Chrissy Teigen reveals she used drug on her birthday

Taking ketamine for a long period of time could have the same effect on the brain as schizophrenia, according to one of the first long-term studies into its effect on the brain.

Researchers in New York City tested ketamine – an anesthetic that causes hallucinations – in mice for ten days.

They found that repeated exposure to the drug structurally rewires parts of the brain that produce dopamine, a neurotransmitter that supports memory, mood, sleep, learning, concentration and movement.

These changes were similar to those seen in mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, the researchers said, as they warned clinics against using the drug in an “untargeted” way.

Targeted treatments would aim to target certain parts of the brain that produce dopamine, including the midbrain and hypothalamus.

Chrissy Teigen, 38, said she did ketamine therapy this weekend and “saw” her late son Jack. Jack, Teigen's son with musician John Legend, 44, died of a partial placental abruption

Dr. Raju Tomer, senior study author and assistant professor of biological sciences at Columbia University, said: “Rather than bathing the entire brain in ketamine, as most therapies now do, our whole-brain mapping data indicates that “A safer approach would be to target specific parts of the brain with it, to minimize unintended effects on other dopamine areas in the brain.”

Most comparable studies have only looked at the effects of short-term exposure to ketamine. The researchers said the findings could help develop ketamine therapies that target specific parts of the brain, making the treatment safer and more effective.

However, as more clinics open up and promote ketamine as a treatment for depression and PTSD, the findings may prompt caution when using the drug for unapproved mental health treatments.

The findings come after actress Chrissy Teigen revealed that while taking ketamine last weekend, she “saw” her late son Jack, who died in utero three years earlier.

The Deal or No Deal alum wrote on Instagram that she “did ketamine therapy and saw space and time and baby jack and some weird penguins and cried and cried and cried.”

Ketamine clinics have been set up across the country to treat mental illness and other disorders. However, these uses are not approved by the FDA

The Columbia University researchers found that repeated exposure to ketamine for ten days in mice led to less dopamine in areas of the midbrain responsible for regulating mood. It also caused increased levels of dopamine in the hypothalamus, which acts as the body's control center.

Malika Datta, study author and postdoctoral researcher at Columbia University in New York City, said, “The restructuring of the brain's dopamine system that we see after repeated ketamine use may be associated with cognitive behavioral changes over time.”

The team said these changes are similar to those seen in schizophrenia, a chronic and serious mental disorder that affects how a person thinks, feels and behaves. It often causes patients to lose touch with reality.

Symptoms include hallucinations, delusions, decreased feelings of pleasure, difficulty concentrating or paying attention, and poor decision-making skills.

The cause is largely unknown, but it is believed to be a combination of genetics, abnormalities in brain chemistry, and/or possible viral infections and immune disorders.

Schizophrenia is believed to affect one percent of Americans, approximately 3.2 million.

Ketamine is an anesthetic that has turned into a street drug and an unofficial treatment for mental illnesses such as depression and PTSD.

According to the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), it has 'some hallucinogenic effects', including distorted 'perceptions of sight and sound'.

In the 1970s, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the prescription use of ketamine as an anesthetic for patients, creating a loophole for healthcare providers to prescribe the drug off-label to treat other conditions , such as depression.

It is not approved by the FDA for mental health conditions.

In the US, the DEA has classified the drug as a Schedule III controlled substance. Possession of these substances without a prescription is illegal.

There is some evidence that off-label ketamine may reduce symptoms of depression.

For example, in May a study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that adults with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder (MDD) who used ketamine had fewer symptoms and improved quality of life.

Additionally, a 52-year-old mother, Niki, previously told DailyMail.com that ketamine “gave me my life back” after it brought her back from the brink of suicide.

However, research is limited.

The research team believes the findings could lead to more targeted clinical therapies and efforts to reduce abuse.

Dr. Tomer said: 'This study gives us a deeper, brain-wide perspective on how ketamine functions, which we hope will contribute to better use of this promising drug in various clinical settings and help minimize its recreational abuse.'

'More broadly, the study shows that the same type of neurons in different brain areas can be affected differently by the same drug.'

The research was published in the journal on Monday Cell reports. It was funded in part by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).