Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a trauma- and stressor-related disorder caused by exposure to a traumatic or distressing event. Symptoms related to this disorder are known to be detrimental to one’s quality of life, affecting aspects of behavior, cognition, and mood. Furthermore, PTSD has been found to have high rates of comorbidity with other psychological disorders such as generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Current pharmacological treatments for PTSD have been insufficient, with fewer than 50% of patients reporting full remission from the disorder following treatment. Both ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic, and fluoxetine (FLX), a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), have shown promise in their ability to treat stress-related disorders. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of R-S ketamine and FLX, alone and in combination, in reducing the onset of symptoms associated with PTSD and GAD. A fear conditioning (FC) paradigm in which mice were exposed to an aversive stimulus paired with a neutral stimulus was used. Treatments began 4 hours post-FC, and fear response behaviors such as freezing and aggression were recorded 24 hours and 2 weeks post-FC. 2-weeks after FC, mice were placed in an open-field apparatus and assessed for behaviors indicative of anxiety, such as percent time spent in the center of the open field and escape behaviors. Results indicated that the combination ketamine/FLX treatment most effectively reduced PTSD-related behaviors, while FLX alone was most effective for GAD-related behaviors.
","abstract_html":"<p>Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a trauma- and stressor-related disorder caused by exposure to a traumatic or distressing event. Symptoms related to this disorder are known to be detrimental to one’s quality of life, affecting aspects of behavior, cognition, and mood. Furthermore, PTSD has been found to have high rates of comorbidity with other psychological disorders such as generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Current pharmacological treatments for PTSD have been insufficient, with fewer than 50% of patients reporting full remission from the disorder following treatment. Both ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic, and fluoxetine (FLX), a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), have shown promise in their ability to treat stress-related disorders. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of <em>R-S</em> ketamine and FLX, alone and in combination, in reducing the onset of symptoms associated with PTSD and GAD. A fear conditioning (FC) paradigm in which mice were exposed to an aversive stimulus paired with a neutral stimulus was used. Treatments began 4 hours post-FC, and fear response behaviors such as freezing and aggression were recorded 24 hours and 2 weeks post-FC. 2-weeks after FC, mice were placed in an open-field apparatus and assessed for behaviors indicative of anxiety, such as percent time spent in the center of the open field and escape behaviors. Results indicated that the combination ketamine/FLX treatment most effectively reduced PTSD-related behaviors, while FLX alone was most effective for GAD-related behaviors.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Wells, Megan"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Psychological Science","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Amber LaCrosse"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2024,"date_issued":"2024-05-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2024-05-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:24:36Z","subjects":["PTSD","ketamine","fluoxetine","GAD","fear-conditioning","open field test","OFT","Experimental Analysis of Behavior","Mental Disorders"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.nmu.edu/theses/836","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Amber LaCrosse"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Wells, Megan"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2029-04-07T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Psychological Science"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["PTSD","ketamine","fluoxetine","GAD","fear-conditioning","open field test","OFT","Experimental Analysis of Behavior","Mental Disorders"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.nmu.edu/theses/836"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a trauma- and stressor-related disorder caused by exposure to a traumatic or distressing event. Symptoms related to this disorder are known to be detrimental to one’s quality of life, affecting aspects of behavior, cognition, and mood. Furthermore, PTSD has been found to have high rates of comorbidity with other psychological disorders such as generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Current pharmacological treatments for PTSD have been insufficient, with fewer than 50% of patients reporting full remission from the disorder following treatment. Both ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic, and fluoxetine (FLX), a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), have shown promise in their ability to treat stress-related disorders. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of R-S ketamine and FLX, alone and in combination, in reducing the onset of symptoms associated with PTSD and GAD. A fear conditioning (FC) paradigm in which mice were exposed to an aversive stimulus paired with a neutral stimulus was used. Treatments began 4 hours post-FC, and fear response behaviors such as freezing and aggression were recorded 24 hours and 2 weeks post-FC. 2-weeks after FC, mice were placed in an open-field apparatus and assessed for behaviors indicative of anxiety, such as percent time spent in the center of the open field and escape behaviors. Results indicated that the combination ketamine/FLX treatment most effectively reduced PTSD-related behaviors, while FLX alone was most effective for GAD-related behaviors.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Drug Treatments for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in a Mouse Model"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Amber LaCrosse"],"dc:creator":["Wells, Megan"],"dc:date.available":["2029-04-07T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a trauma- and stressor-related disorder caused by exposure to a traumatic or distressing event. Symptoms related to this disorder are known to be detrimental to one’s quality of life, affecting aspects of behavior, cognition, and mood. Furthermore, PTSD has been found to have high rates of comorbidity with other psychological disorders such as generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Current pharmacological treatments for PTSD have been insufficient, with fewer than 50% of patients reporting full remission from the disorder following treatment. Both ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic, and fluoxetine (FLX), a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), have shown promise in their ability to treat stress-related disorders. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of R-S ketamine and FLX, alone and in combination, in reducing the onset of symptoms associated with PTSD and GAD. A fear conditioning (FC) paradigm in which mice were exposed to an aversive stimulus paired with a neutral stimulus was used. Treatments began 4 hours post-FC, and fear response behaviors such as freezing and aggression were recorded 24 hours and 2 weeks post-FC. 2-weeks after FC, mice were placed in an open-field apparatus and assessed for behaviors indicative of anxiety, such as percent time spent in the center of the open field and escape behaviors. Results indicated that the combination ketamine/FLX treatment most effectively reduced PTSD-related behaviors, while FLX alone was most effective for GAD-related behaviors.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://commons.nmu.edu/theses/836"],"dc:subject":["PTSD","ketamine","fluoxetine","GAD","fear-conditioning","open field test","OFT","Experimental Analysis of Behavior","Mental Disorders"],"dc:title":["Drug Treatments for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in a Mouse Model"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Psychological Science"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:24:36Z"}