Study by Drs. Platholi, Herold and Hemmings Examines Effects of General Anesthesia on Dendritic Spines

Numerous forms of surgery would be impossible without the use of general anesthesia. However, during the last decade, several studies have been published that raise concerns about exposing children and the elderly to general anesthesia – its use may increase susceptibility to a variety of long-term neurological defects, including learning disabilities. A study recently published in the journal PLOS ONE by Weill Cornell Anesthesiologists, in collaboration with UCSD neuroscientist Dr. Shelley Halpain, will give scientists and physicians more information to consider as they assess these questions.

The PLOS ONE study was the product of research conducted by a team composed of Hugh C. Hemmings, Jr., M.D., Ph.D., and Karl F. Herold, M.D., Ph.D., of Weill Cornell Medical College, and Shelley Halpain, Ph.D., and Jimcy Platholi, Ph.D., of the University of California San Diego. (Dr. Platholi is now an Instructor of Pharmacology in Anesthesiology in the Hemmings Lab at Weill Cornell.) The team examined the effects of the anesthetic isoflurane when exposed to synaptic connections cultured from embryonic rat neurons. They found that isoflurane’s effects on synaptic morphology were temporary. As Dr. Hemmings explained, "We clearly see an effect – a very marked effect on the dendritic spines – from use of this drug that was reversible, suggesting that it is not a toxic effect, but something more relevant to the pharmacological actions of the drug." Dr. Hemmings also noted that further research and analysis was called for. A full description of their research can be found in the WCMC Press Release.

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