News and Events
SmartTots and IARS News, Press Releases and EventsSmartTots: Building Community and Advocating for Important Research
SmartTots pediatric anesthetic neurotoxicity thought leaders discuss the current status of the field and provide insights into the future of the research. View on YouTube.
Pediatric Anesthetic Neurotoxicity: Finding Ways to Move Forward
Pediatric anesthetic neurotoxicity investigators discuss the state of the research and identify compelling ways to move the field forward. View on YouTube.
Pediatric Anesthetic Neurotoxicity: Designing the Proper Study
Pediatric anesthetic neurotoxicity thought leaders ponder the feasibility of designing and conducting studies that successfully isolate the effects of anesthetics from the effects of the procedure or patient’s underlying condition. View on YouTube.
Pediatric Anesthetic Neurotoxicity: The Pre-Clinical Journey
Pediatric anesthetic neurotoxicity researchers discuss how pre-clinical studies are providing insight into the mechanisms of neurotoxicity, and the impact on the future of clinical studies. View on YouTube.
Panda Symposium
SmartTots – Perspectives from the Front Lines
Millions of children undergo surgery annually. Recent studies suggest there may be reason for concern. This video, featuring Dr. Dean Andropoulos, Dr. Peter Davis, and Dr. Caleb Ing, provides a summary as to why research is needed and the type that is needed.
SmartTots to Help Make Anesthetics and Sedatives Safer for Children
Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research at the Food and Drug Administration, and Dr. Michael Roizen, of the International Anesthesia Research Society, unveil a new partnership that aims to make anesthesia safer for children.
Pediatric Anesthesia Questions and Myths-Mayo Clinic
Dr. Randall Flick at Mayo Clinic “debunks myths” and answers common questions raised by parents in regard to anesthesia.
Propofol and Sevoflurane Anesthesia in Early Childhood Do Not Influence Seizure Threshold in Adult Rats.
Experimental studies have demonstrated that general anesthetics administered during the period of synaptogenesis may induce widespread neurodegeneration, which results in permanent cognitive and behavioral deficits. What remains to be elucidated is the extent of the potential influence of the commonly used hypnotics on comorbidities including epilepsy, which may have resulted from increased neurodegeneration during synaptogenesis.
Sevoflurane Exposure in the Developing Brain Induces Hyperactivity, Anxiety-Free, and Enhancement of Memory Consolidation in Mice.
Background: Sevoflurane exposure at brain developmental stages has been reported to induce neurotoxicity and, subsequently, results in learning deficits at the juvenile age. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of prior early-age sevoflurane exposure on locomotor activity, anxiety, CA1-dependent learning, and spatial memory, as well as synapse changes in mice.
Fentanyl induces autism-like behaviours in mice by hypermethylation of the glutamate receptor gene Grin2b.
Background: Environmental factors contribute to autism spectrum disorder. Fentanyl, one of the most widely used opioid analgesics in anaesthesia, can induce neurotoxicity, but its role in autism remains unknown. We determined whether fentanyl induced autism-like behaviours in young mice and the underlying mechanisms.
Multiple exposures to sevoflurane across postnatal development may cause cognitive deficits in older age.
Background: The aim of the study was to determine the effects of repeated anesthesia exposure across postnatal development.
Mitochondria-Related Ferroptosis Drives Cognitive Deficits in Neonatal Mice Following Sevoflurane Administration.
Multiple sevoflurane exposure may result in cognitive deficits in neonatal animals. This study attempted to investigate the potential mechanism of sevoflurane-induced neurotoxicity in developing hippocampus. Neonatal animals received sevoflurane anesthesia, then the behavioral tests and Golgi-Cox staining were employed to detect the effect of sevoflurane inhalation in adult mice.
MicroRNA-424-5p Alleviates Isoflurane Anesthesia-Induced Neurotoxicity in Human Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Neurons by Targeting FASN.
Isoflurane (ISO) is a type of anesthetic that might cause neurotoxicity in children. Although miR-424-5p is considerably downregulated in ISO-treated rat brain samples, its physiological role in ISO-induced neuronal injury in human embryonic stem cell-derived neurons remains unknown (hESC-derived neurons). miR-424-5p expression and fatty acid synthase (FASN) in ISO-treated hESC-derived neurons were tested via qRT-PCR.