International journal of developmental neuroscience : the official journal of the International Society for Developmental Neuroscience
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Int. J. Dev. Neurosci. · Jun 2019
Dexmedetomidine reduced sevoflurane-induced neurodegeneration and long-term memory deficits in neonatal rats.
Exposure to sevoflurane and other inhalational anesthetics can induce neurodegeneration in the developing brain. Although dexmedetomidine (DEX) has provided neuroprotection against hypoxic ischemic injury, relatively little is known about whether it has the neuroprotective effects against anesthetic-induced neurodegeneration. This study examined whether DEX improves the long-term cognitive dysfunction observed after exposure of neonatal rats to 3% sevoflurane. ⋯ The freezing times of the DEX 0 and 6.6 groups were significantly decreased compared with those in the sham, control and DEX 25 groups. The number of NeuN-positive cells in the CA1 region was significantly decreased in the DEX 0 and 6.6 groups compared with the sham, control and DEX 25 groups. These findings indicate pre-treatment with DEX may improve long-term cognitive function and ameliorate the neuronal degeneration induced by sevoflurane exposure in neonatal rats.