title: Effects of isoflurane-induced anaesthesia on cognitive performance in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease: A randomised trial in transgenic APP23 mice.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Results from in-vitro experiments suggest that inhalational anaesthetics may have a detrimental effect on the course and incidence of Alzheimer's disease. However, case-control studies in humans show no negative impact of anaesthetics on the course of Alzheimer's disease.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To test the hypothesis that 2 h of general anaesthesia with 1 MAC isoflurane changes learning abilities of young and old transgenic Alzheimer's mice (APP23 mice).
  
  
  METHODS
  Randomised controlled double-blinded study in mice.
  
  
  METHODS
  Animal laboratory and operating theatre in the Klinik für Anästhesiologie, Technische Universität München, Germany
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety-six male mice divided in four groups: young (4 months) APP23 mice and corresponding wild-type mice; old (14 to 16 months) APP23 and corresponding wild-type mice.
  
  
  METHODS
  Mice were either anaesthetised for 2 h with 1 MAC isoflurane or sham-anaesthetised ('isoflurane' or 'control').
  
  
  METHODS
  Learning and locomotor activity during the following 8 days using the modified Hole Board Test for mice. Results are median (interquartile range) and median difference (95% confidence interval).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Young mice, [1.0 (1.3)] as assessed by the number of omission errors, learned better than old [1.8 (1.8); age: P = 0.004, median difference 0.5 (0.2 to 1.0)]. Anaesthetised animals [0.8 (1.5)] learned better than controls [1.6 (1.7); anaesthesia: P = 0.010, median difference 0.5 (0.1 to 0.9)]. This was accompanied by higher locomotor activity in young compared to old mice as assessed by number of line crossings per minute [10 (5) min(-1) vs. 7 (3) min(-1), P < 0.001, median difference 3 (2 to 4) min(-1)]. Anaesthesia and genotype Alzheimer's disease had no impact on locomotor activity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Isoflurane may have protective, rather than detrimental, effects on cognition in Alzheimer's disease.
authors.affiliation: Klinik für Anaesthesiologie der Technischen Universität München, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Munich, Germany. b.eckel@lrz.tum.de
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Eckel
authors.forename: Frauke
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ohl
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Starker
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rammes
authors.forename: Ralph
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bogdanski
authors.forename: Eberhard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kochs
authors.forename: Manfred
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Blobner
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology*; D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor / Q000235:genetics*; D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D007530:Isoflurane / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D007858:Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D065840:Protective Factors; D011897:Random Allocation; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor; D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation; D007530:Isoflurane