Since 1999, a large body of evidence from various animal models indicates a link between anesthesia exposure in early stage of life and subsequent neurodevelopmental impairments; namely, almost all commonly used intravenous and inhalational anesthetics, including gamma-aminobutyric acid agonists and N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonists, can induce dose- and age-dependent neuronal apoptosis and death in vitro. Moreover, abundant data from nematodes to primate animals have shown a variety of anatomic and neurodevelopmental sequelae from anesthesia exposure in young animals. In the rodents, the most prominent manifestations of anesthesia-induced developmental neurotoxicity (AIDN) are often observed at post-natal day 7, which is the peak period for synaptogenesis. In animal models, both single and multiple anesthesia exposures can affect neurodevelopment. Also, the duration and timing of anesthesia exposure are the important influencing factors of AIDN. Alarmingly, these neurotoxic effects by neonatal exposure to anesthesia may result in the long-term detrimental functional outcomes in later childhood or adulthood, such as deficits in memory, learning, attention, and motor function.
Recent Posts
- 2025 Annual Meeting, presented by the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS) and the Society of Critical Care Anesthesiologists (SOCCA), March 20 – 23, 2025, Honolulu, HI
- Exposure to Operative Anesthesia in Childhood and Subsequent Neurobehavioral Diagnoses: A Natural Experiment Using Appendectomy
- Long-term outcomes of early exposure to repeated general anaesthesia in children with cystic fibrosis (CF-GAIN): a multicentre, open-label, randomised controlled phase 4 trial. Claire Elizabeth Wainwright, et al. June 2024
- Columbia University Physician Scientist and SmartTots Investigator, Caleb Ing, MD, publishes new findings regarding prenatal exposure to general anesthesia and subsequent risk to the child.
- A Scoping Review of the Mechanisms Underlying Developmental Anesthetic Neurotoxicity