Anesthesiology
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The authors have developed a method for studying the action of volatile anesthetics in Caenorhabditis elegans (C.e.), a free living nematode. C.e. appears to be a useful model for the study of the influence of genetics on susceptibility to anesthetics. This worm has a small, completely defined nervous system, easily manipulated genetics, and a large number of nervous system mutants. ⋯ HS1 is uncoordinated when not exposed to anesthetics. Like the normal strain (N2) HS1 loses mobility when exposed to anesthetics. The ED50S for various anesthetics in HS1 were as follows: methoxyflurane 0.04%, chloroform 0.52%, halothane 0.85%, isoflurane 4.9%, enflurane 6.0%, fluroxene 10.9%.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)