Luan O. Ferreira Esther Padilha Da Silveira Clarissa Araujo Da Paz Maria K. Hamoy Gabriela B. Barbosa Murilo F. Santos Raína M. Conceição Anthony Lucas G. Amaral Karina D. Resende Dielly Catrina Favacho Lopes ^* Moisés Hamoy

• Federal University of Pará, Belém, Brazil

Substance abuse is a major public health problem. In recent years, ketamine, which is a parenteral anesthetic, has been consumed increasingly as an illicit drug together with alcohol, although little is known of how this association alters brain activity. The present study investigated the influence of progressive doses of ketamine, associated with alcohol, on electrophysiological activity. For this, 72 late-adolescent (8-10-week-old) male Wistar rats received either ketamine only, at low (10 mg/kg), intermediate (20 mg/kg) or high (30 mg/kg) doses via intraperitoneal injection, or alcohol (2 ml/100 g) via oral gavage followed by ketamine (at low, intermediate, and high doses). Electroencephalograms (EEG) and electromyographic recordings were obtained 5 minutes after the final application of the drug. When administered alone, ketamine resulted in an increase in delta, theta, beta, and gamma brainwaves, with a more pronounced effect being detected at the highest dose (30 mg/kg) in the case of the delta, beta, and gamma waves. The amplitude of the alpha brainwaves was reduced at all doses of ketamine, but less intensively at the highest dose. When administered alone, alcohol reduced all the brainwaves, with the reduction in the alpha waves being exacerbated by ketamine at all doses, and that of the theta and beta waves being boosted at the lowest dose. The intermediate dose of ketamine (20 mg/kg) reverted the alcohol-induced reduction in the theta and gamma waves, whereas the high dose increased delta, theta, beta, and gamma bandpower. Overall, then, while ketamine enhances the