Journal article
Impact of anaesthetics and surgery on neurodevelopment: An update
RD Sanders, J Hassell, AJ Davidson, NJ Robertson, D Ma
British Journal of Anaesthesia | ELSEVIER SCI LTD | Published : 2013
DOI: 10.1093/bja/aet054
Abstract
SummaryAccumulating preclinical and clinical evidence suggests the possibility of neurotoxicity from neonatal exposure to general anaesthetics. Here, we review the weight of the evidence from both human and animal studies and discuss the putative mechanisms of injury and options for protective strategies. Our review identified 55 rodent studies, seven primate studies, and nine clinical studies of interest. While the preclinical data consistently demonstrate robust apoptosis in the nervous system after anaesthetic exposure, only a few studies have performed cognitive follow-up. Nonetheless, the emerging evidence that the primate brain is vulnerable to anaesthetic-induced apoptosis is of conce..
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Awarded by National Institutes of Health
Funding Acknowledgements
R.D.S. is supported by the Wellcome Trust, Action Medical Research, Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland, and the National Institute of Health (USA). J.H. is supported by the National Institute of Health Research. A.J.D. is supported by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council and the Victorian Government Operational Infrastructure Support Program. N.J.R. is supported by the Wellbeing of Women, Medical Research Council and Action Medical Research. D. M. is supported by the Medical Research Council, Action Medical Research, Alzheimer's Society and SPARKS. This work was undertaken at University College Hospital/University College London, which received a proportion of funding from the UK Department of Health's National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centres funding scheme.