Using Ketamine to Understand Memory and Metacognition
How does human memory work?
Background
Memory and Metacognition
These two words come up often in discussions on neuroscience and the mysteries of the brain. But what do they really mean?
Scientists spend their entire lives trying to completely answer this question, and yet the answer still seems quite far from reach.
However, what we do know is that the basis of memory is simply the generation, storage, and recollection of information on the brain.
Metacognition is a bit tougher to grasp, but simply put, it is thinking about thinking, knowing about knowing, and being aware of one’s awareness. Understanding metacognition means to take a step closer to understanding the human consciousness which is, to me, the most fascinating thing ever.
Ketamine
You’ve probably heard of ketamine, maybe for its prevalence as a “club drug” and in stories of substance abuse. However, ketamine actually got its start as an anesthetic and painkiller.
