title: Anesthesia in Experimental Stroke Research.
abstract: Anesthetics have enabled major advances in development of experimental models of human stroke. Yet, their profound pharmacologic effects on neural function can confound the interpretation of experimental stroke research. Anesthetics have species-, drug-, and dose-specific effects on cerebral blood flow and metabolism, neurovascular coupling, autoregulation, ischemic depolarizations, excitotoxicity, inflammation, neural networks, and numerous molecular pathways relevant for stroke outcome. Both preconditioning and postconditioning properties have been described. Anesthetics also modulate systemic arterial blood pressure, lung ventilation, and thermoregulation, all of which may interact with the ischemic insult as well as the therapeutic interventions. These confounds present a dilemma. Here, we provide an overview of the anesthetic mechanisms of action and molecular and physiologic effects on factors relevant to stroke outcomes that can guide the choice and optimization of the anesthetic regimen in experimental stroke.
authors.affiliation: Multidisciplinary Neuroprotection Laboratories, Department of Anesthesiology, Duke University Medical Center, Box 3094, Durham, NC, 27710, USA.
authors.forename: Ulrike
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.affiliation: Multidisciplinary Neuroprotection Laboratories, Department of Anesthesiology, Duke University Medical Center, Box 3094, Durham, NC, 27710, USA.
authors.forename: Huaxin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sheng
authors.affiliation: Neurovascular Research Laboratory, Departments of Radiology and Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 149 13th Street, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA.
authors.forename: Cenk
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ayata
authors.affiliation: Multidisciplinary Neuroprotection Laboratories, Department of Anesthesiology, Duke University Medical Center, Box 3094, Durham, NC, 27710, USA. david.warner@duke.edu.
authors.forename: David S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Warner
mesh_terms: D000758:Anesthesia / Q000379:methods*; D000777:Anesthetics / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000150:complications; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000187:drug effects; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006706:Homeostasis / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D019194:Ischemic Preconditioning; D009609:Nitrous Oxide / Q000378:metabolism; D020521:Stroke / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D000777:Anesthetics; D009609:Nitrous Oxide
keywords: Anesthesia; Anesthetic; Brain; Ischemia; Stroke