[The mechanisms of action of ketamine]

The review systematizes the latest data on the main mechanisms of realization of some pharmacological properties of ketamine which are particularly valuable in the treatment of many diseases and conditions. The authors present the main aspects of the ketamine effect on the central mechanisms of anesthesia and hemodynamics and give the characteristics of its neuroprotective action. It is shown that these effects are realized also at the cost of the non-competitive blockade of the NMDA receptors in the central nervous system.