British journal of anaesthesia
-
Comparative Study
Differential effects of the novel neurosteroid hypnotic (3β,5β,17β)-3-hydroxyandrostane-17-carbonitrile on electroencephalogram activity in male and female rats.
We recently showed that a neurosteroid analogue, (3β,5β,17β)-3-hydroxyandrostane-17-carbonitrile (3β-OH), induced hypnosis in rats. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the hypnotic and anaesthetic potential of 3β-OH further using electroencephalography. ⋯ Based on its behavioural effects and EEG signature, 3β-OH is a potent hypnotic in rats, with female rats being more sensitive than male rats.
-
Editorial Comment
Long-term evidence of neonatal anaesthesia neurotoxicity linked to behavioural phenotypes in monkeys: where do we go from here?
Whether anaesthesia exposure early in life leads to brain damage with long-lasting structural and behavioural consequences in primates has not been conclusively determined. A study in the British Journal of Anaesthesia by Neudecker and colleagues found that 2 yr after early anaesthesia exposure, monkeys exhibited signs of chronic astrogliosis which correlate with behavioural deficits. Given the increasing frequency of exposure to anaesthetics in infancy in humans, clinical trials are greatly needed to understand how sedative/anaesthetic agents may be impacting brain and behaviour development.