title: Sevoflurane anesthesia improves cognitive performance in mice, but does not influence in vitro long-term potentation in hippocampus CA1 stratum radiatum.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Whether the occurrence of postoperative cognitive dysfunction is a result of the effects of surgery or anesthesia is under debate. In this study, we investigated the impact of sevoflurane anesthesia on cognitive performance and cellular mechanisms involved in learning and memory.
  
  
  METHODS
  Male C57Bl6/J mice (4-5 months) were exposed to one minimum alveolar concentration sevoflurane for two hours. After 24 h, cognitive performance of mice was assessed using the modified hole board test. Additionally, we evaluated hippocampal long-term potentiation and expression levels of different receptor subunits by recording excitatory postsynaptic field potentials and using the western blot technique, respectively. Non-anesthetized mice served as controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In anesthetized mice, neither cognitive performance nor long-term potentiation was impaired 24 h after anesthesia. Interestingly, sevoflurane anesthesia induced even an improvement of cognitive performance and an elevation of the expression levels of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor type 1 and 2B subunits in the hippocampus.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Since NMDA receptor type 1 and 2B subunits play a crucial role in processes related to learning and memory, we hypothesize that sevoflurane-induced changes in NMDA receptor subunit composition might cause hippocampus-dependent cognitive improvement. The data of the present study are in favor of a minor role of anesthesia in mediating postoperative cognitive dysfunction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany. r.haseneder@lrz.tum.de
authors.forename: Rainer
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Haseneder
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Starker
authors.forename: Jasmin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Berkmann
authors.forename: Kristine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kellermann
authors.forename: Bettina
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jungwirth
authors.forename: Manfred
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Blobner
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Eder
authors.forename: Eberhard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kochs
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rammes
mesh_terms: D000758:Anesthesia; D000818:Animals; D056547:CA1 Region, Hippocampal / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects*; D017774:Long-Term Potentiation / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D008738:Methyl Ethers / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D021122:Protein Subunits / Q000378:metabolism; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / Q000378:metabolism; D000077149:Sevoflurane; D015854:Up-Regulation / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D008738:Methyl Ethers; D021122:Protein Subunits; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; D000077149:Sevoflurane