International journal of developmental neuroscience : the official journal of the International Society for Developmental Neuroscience
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Int. J. Dev. Neurosci. · Oct 2015
Randomized Controlled TrialSystemic physiology and neuroapoptotic profiles in young and adult rats exposed to surgery: A randomized controlled study comprising four different anaesthetic techniques.
Experimental evidence indicates that general anaesthetics can induce apoptotic neurodegeneration in the developing brain. The majority of these studies have been performed in the absence of surgery and it currently remains unclear how the presence of surgical stimuli would influence neuroapoptosis as well as systemic homeostasis. Here we explored this possibility by performing dorsal skin flap surgery in young and adult rats under four distinct currently used anaesthesia regimens. ⋯ Combination of anaesthesia and surgery induces significant perturbations of physiological parameters in both young and adult spontaneously breathing rats undergoing surgery. These observations further enlighten the need for detailed physiological monitoring under these experimental conditions. Although some statistically significant differences in activated caspase-3 profiles were detected between experimental groups, the overall extent of neuronal cell death remained very low under all conditions questioning, thereby, the physiological significance of apoptotic neurodegeneration in the context of anaesthesia and surgery.
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Int. J. Dev. Neurosci. · Oct 2015
Developmental stage-dependent impact of midazolam on calbindin, calretinin and parvalbumin expression in the immature rat medial prefrontal cortex during the brain growth spurt.
Human epidemiological data suggest a link between anesthesia exposure in early postnatal life and subsequent lasting neurocognitive alterations. Understanding the underlying mechanisms of this potential association is of paramount importance in an attempt to develop protective strategies. While general anesthetics are powerful modulators of GABAergic neurotransmission, little is known about the impact of these drugs on developing GABAergic networks. Here we addressed this issue by evaluating the impact of a 6-h-long midazolam exposure on the development of calbindin-, calretinin- and parvalbumin-expressing GABAergic interneurons. ⋯ These observations demonstrate that midazolam exposure can impair the physiological differentiation patterns of GABAergic interneurons during the brain growth spurt. Considering the important role of GABAergic networks in neuronal physiology, these data provide us with one potential mechanism that could account for the lasting neurobehavioral and cognitive deficits observed in the context of anesthesia exposure in the early postnatal period.