How many times have you been under general anesthesia? This is Judy Gaman and this is your Stay Young Medical Minute. New research out of the University of Queensland in Australia shows how anesthesia affects the brain. It used to be that we believed that common anesthetics, like propofol, simply mimicked a deep sleep. Now with the use of a technique known as single-molecule imaging microscopy, scientists can look deep within the individual cells to see how exposure to anesthesia affects their function. What they found is that the drugs not only disrupt synapsis, the action of neurons directing cells, these drugs actually inhibit presynaptic activity where the neurons communicate with each other. This is in line with the observation that patients with Alzheimer’s disease and young children with developing brains, often do not do well after exposure to a general anesthetic. This research will lead scientist to look for and discover safer alternatives. Every day there is something new in medicine and that’s why this medical minute is brought to you Executive Medicine of Texas, the leader in preventative and proactive medicine. Learn more at EMTexas.com or call 800-910-EXEC
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