Category generation testing in the search for implicit memory during general anaesthesia.
We gave auditory examples of two semantic categories through headphones to 100 surgical patients anaesthetized with propofol and enflurane. This presentation was made during certain stages of the procedure, potentially associated with arousal, and during steady-state anaesthesia. Postoperative review using category generation tests showed successful priming in a pre-induction group but no evidence of implicit memory in the anaesthetized groups. These results suggest that timing an auditory input to coincide with surgical stimulation does not increase the probability of retrieval of information by this type of testing.
Monklands Hospital NHS Trust, Airdrie, Lanarkshire.
W J
WJ
MacRae
J M
JM
Thorp
K
K
Millar
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000768:Anesthesia, General; D019162:Anesthetics, Combined / Q000494:pharmacology; D018681:Anesthetics, General / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation / Q000494:pharmacology; D018686:Anesthetics, Intravenous / Q000494:pharmacology; D004737:Enflurane / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D007432:Intraoperative Period; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects*; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000187:drug effects; D008875:Middle Aged; D011184:Postoperative Period; D015742:Propofol / Q000494:pharmacology
D019162:Anesthetics, Combined; D018681:Anesthetics, General; D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation; D018686:Anesthetics, Intravenous; D004737:Enflurane; D015742:Propofol