Nature neuroscience
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Nature neuroscience · May 1999
Inhalational anesthetics activate two-pore-domain background K+ channels.
Volatile anesthetics produce safe, reversible unconsciousness, amnesia and analgesia via hyperpolarization of mammalian neurons. In molluscan pacemaker neurons, they activate an inhibitory synaptic K+ current (IKAn), proposed to be important in general anesthesia. ⋯ Carboxy (C)-terminal regions were critical for anesthetic activation in both channels. Thus both TREK-1 and TASK are possibly important target sites for these agents.