Intranasal delivery of the NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801 attenuates ultra-acute excitotoxic neurochemical responses after concussion in rats: comparative pharmacological evaluation against ketamine

Intranasal delivery of MK-801 modulates ultra-acute excitotoxic neurochemical disturbances following concussion in a rodent model. The lack of comparable effects with ketamine under the tested conditions highlights the importance of pharmacokinetic properties and receptor-binding kinetics when targeting the brief post-injury excitotoxic window. These findings provide proof-of-concept evidence supporting further investigation of rapid intranasal NMDA receptor antagonism as a strategy to influence early glutamatergic dysregulation after concussion.