Anesthetic neurotoxicity.
All routinely utilized sedatives and anesthetics have been found neurotoxic in a wide variety of animal species, including non-human primates. Neurotoxic effects observed in animals include histologic evidence for apoptotic neuronal cell death and subsequent learning and memory impairment. Several cohort studies in neonates with significant comorbidities requiring surgical procedures early in life have also demonstrated abnormal neurodevelopmental outcomes. This article provides an overview of the currently available data from both animal experiments and human clinical studies regarding the effects of sedatives and anesthetics on the developing brain.
Department of Anesthesiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, 3333 Burnet Ave, MLC 2001, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA. Electronic address: erica.lin@cchmc.org.
Erica P
EP
Lin
Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children's Hospital, 300 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Sulpicio G
SG
Soriano
Department of Anesthesiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, 3333 Burnet Ave, MLC 2001, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA.
Andreas W
AW
Loepke
D000293:Adolescent; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D000758:Anesthesia / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000777:Anesthetics / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000187:drug effects; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007858:Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D020258:Neurotoxicity Syndromes / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D013045:Species Specificity
D000777:Anesthetics
Anesthesia; Anesthetics; Infant; Learning impairment; Neurodegeneration; Neurotoxicity