Ketamine anaesthesia has no effect on striatal dopamine metabolism in rats.

Striatal levels of dopamine (DA), 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and homovanillic acid in rats were not altered for at least 6 h after a ketamine injection (100 mg/kg). Striatal DA turnover which was measured by giving alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine after ketamine was unchanged. Even the dose regimen of ketamine which anaesthetized animals for approximately 3.5 h (100 mg/kg + 5 maintenance injections of 50 mg/kg at 30 min intervals) produced no alteration in DA turnover for at least 9 h. These results suggest that ketamine anaesthesia will not adversely affect studies investigating central DAergic mechanisms in rats.