title: Feasibility of measuring memory response to increasing dexmedetomidine sedation in children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The memory effect of dexmedetomidine has not been prospectively evaluated in children. We evaluated the feasibility of measuring memory and sedation responses in children during dexmedetomidine sedation for non-painful radiological imaging studies. Secondarily, we quantified changes in memory in relation to the onset of sedation.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 10 min bolus of dexmedetomidine (2 mcg kg-1) was given to children as they named simple line drawings every five s. The absence of sedation was identified as any verbal response, regardless of correctness. After recovery, recognition memory was tested with correct Yes/No recognitions (50% novel pictures) and was matched to sedation responses during the bolus period (subsequent memory paradigm).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 64 accruals, 30 children (mean [SD]6.1 (1.2) yr, eight male) received dexmedetomidine and completed all study tasks. Individual responses were able to be modelled successfully in the 30 children completing all the study tasks, demonstrating feasibility of this approach. Children had 50% probability of verbal response at five min 40 s after infusion start, whereas 50% probability of subsequent recognition memory occurred sooner at four min five s.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Quantifying memory and sedation effects during dexmedetomidine infusion in verbal children was possible and demonstrated that memory function was present until shortly before verbal unresponsiveness occurred. This is the first study to investigate the effect of dexmedetomidine on memory in children.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  NCT 02354378.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesia, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA keira.mason@childrens.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: K P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Mason
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.|Department of Anesthesiology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: E R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Kelhoffer
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Harvard Medical School, MA, USA.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Prescilla
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.|Department of Anesthesiology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mehta
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.|Department of Anesthesiology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA.|Department of Psychology in Anesthesiology, Neurocognitve Research Lab, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY,USA.
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Root
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesia, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: V J
authors.initials: VJ
authors.lastname: Young
authors.affiliation: DM-Stat, Inc, Malden, MA, USA.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.|Department of Anesthesiology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Veselis
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D020927:Dexmedetomidine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D020927:Dexmedetomidine
keywords: child; conscious sedation; dexmedetomidine; memory