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from the count-backward-from-10...9...8... dept.
Hailed as one of the most important medical advances, the discovery of general anesthetics -- compounds which induce unconsciousness, prevent control of movement and block pain -- helped transform dangerous and traumatic operations into safe and routine surgery. But despite their importance, scientists still don't understand exactly how general anesthetics work.
Now, in a study published this week in the Journal of Neuroscience, researchers from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) and Nagoya University have revealed how a commonly used general anesthetic called isoflurane weakens the transmission of electrical signals between neurons, at junctions called synapses.
"Importantly, we found that isoflurane did not block the transmission of all electrical signals equally; the anesthetic had the strongest effect on higher frequency impulses that are required for functions such as cognition or movement, whilst it had minimal effect on low frequency impulses that control life-supporting functions, such as breathing," said Professor Tomoyuki Takahashi, who leads the Cellular and Molecular Synaptic Function (CMSF) Unit at OIST. "This explains how isoflurane is able to cause anesthesia, by preferentially blocking the high frequency signals."
[...] With further research, the researchers found that isoflurane reduced the amount of neurotransmitter released, by both lowering the probability of the vesicles being released and by reducing the maximum number of vesicles able to be released at a time.
[...] By electrically measuring the changes in the surface area of the presynaptic terminal membrane, which is increased by exocytosis and decreased by endocytosis, the scientists concluded that isoflurane only affected vesicle release by exocytosis, likely by blocking exocytic machinery.
[...] "Crucially, we found that this block only had a major effect on high frequency signals, suggesting that this block on exocytic machinery is the key to isoflurane's anesthetizing effect," said Takahashi.
[...] Overall, the series of experiments provide compelling evidence to how isoflurane weakens synapses to induce anesthesia.
"Now that we have established techniques of manipulating and deciphering presynaptic mechanisms, we are ready to apply these techniques to tougher questions, such as presynaptic mechanisms underlying symptoms of neurodegenerative diseases," said Takahashi. "That will be our next challenge."
Journal Reference:
Han-Ying Wang, Kohgaku Eguchi, Takayuki Yamashita, et al. Frequency-dependent block of excitatory neurotransmission by isoflurane via dual presynaptic mechanisms [open], Journal of Neuroscience (DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2946-19.2020)
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 28 2020, @08:28AM
notice it's an asian, not a white-man-retard.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 28 2020, @09:43AM (1 child)
cool, so it works as a low-pass filter.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 28 2020, @04:12PM
now it makes complete sense
(Score: 5, Interesting) by Mojibake Tengu on Tuesday April 28 2020, @09:45AM (6 children)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isoflurane [wikipedia.org]
That's pretty scary molecule by just looking at the formula. Maybe, it is some former chemical weapon?
Let's check some hazard classification:
https://www.concordia.ca/content/dam/concordia/services/safety/docs/EHS-DOC-078_IsofluraneSafetyGuidelines.pdf [concordia.ca]
Now, that's something. A true nerve poison.
Hopefully some terrorists never figure that.
Respect Authorities. Know your social status. Woke responsibly.
(Score: 1) by winnitude on Tuesday April 28 2020, @11:14AM
Oh no you di-int. You should probably delete this before some crank magnet reads it and it gets taken on as a full-blown conspiracy theory that general anesthesia is a government mind control tool.
"My sister's, husband's second cousin once had a general anesthesic, and the nerve poison they gave her resulted in her first child having autism".
(Score: 2) by Muad'Dave on Tuesday April 28 2020, @11:46AM (1 child)
They use isoflurane in veterinarian settings all the time. You see it on all of the Nat Geo vet shows, anyway. IIRC I've seen at least one vet wear a full respirator when using it. Not all of them seem to, so I don't know why that's the case.
(Score: 2) by Reziac on Wednesday April 29 2020, @04:58AM
Some wear a respirator because the stuff is fairly irritating to the nasal passages.
And I know of several cases where giving an NSAID for pain following surgery under isoflurane... resulted in liver collapse in previously-healthy animals.
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.
(Score: 3, Informative) by NickM on Tuesday April 28 2020, @09:09PM (1 child)
Fluoride bounded to carbon is quite stable, that bound is really hard to break, in fact It is one of the strongest single bonds organic chemistry. I don't know why people thinks that C-F is dangerous like F-O or F-F...
That molecule look like a chemically stable asymmetric version of diethyl ether, the so inflamable it is explosive, granddaddy of anesthesiology.
I a master of typographic, grammatical and miscellaneous errors !
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 29 2020, @03:39PM
F--- O-F-F
(Score: 2) by sjames on Tuesday April 28 2020, @11:31PM
It would make a terrible chemical weapon. It boils above 40C, so you would need something to heat it without decomposing it, it needs a fairly high concentration to do more than make you cough, and the effects pass fairly quickly after exposure is discontinued.
(Score: 2) by Muad'Dave on Tuesday April 28 2020, @11:43AM
Who knew isoflurane was an inductor?
They got this part backwards, however:
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 28 2020, @12:26PM (3 children)
I usually just turn on the TV.
(Score: 3, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 28 2020, @04:14PM (2 children)
it's assholes like you falling asleep in front of the TV that makes them use more flashing screens and shock noises. fuck you
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 28 2020, @05:57PM
Just like we all have to be unquestionally compliant with our mass imprisonment, otherwise the government will extend it indefinitely.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 29 2020, @10:00PM
You could turn it off and go outside. You have choices, despite what your masters have conditioned you to waste your life with.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Tuesday April 28 2020, @04:54PM (5 children)
YouTube has a good supply of videos of people waking up from anesthesia. Especially, but not exclusively people waking up after removal of wisdom teeth.
When trying to solve a problem don't ask who suffers from the problem, ask who profits from the problem.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 28 2020, @06:00PM (3 children)
I think it is extremely rude to record people when impaired, especially when due to medical reasons, and even if parents do it to their children.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Tuesday April 28 2020, @06:26PM
Even more ruder to upload it without consent to YouTube.
Hopefully those videos are at least uploaded by consent.
They are hilarious.
What happens in Vegas, stays in YouTube.
When trying to solve a problem don't ask who suffers from the problem, ask who profits from the problem.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by crafoo on Tuesday April 28 2020, @10:29PM (1 child)
I would say Especially if it is the parents doing it without consent. It would indicate they do not think of their child as a person with their own rights and humanity. This is a scary situation.
Children are very much like physically and mentally handicapped adults that somehow (if they're lucky) grow out of it. As a parent you are a caretaker and teacher, preparing for them to re-enter the world under their own power. They are not toys, or accessories, or an extension of your ego.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 29 2020, @03:44PM
> Adults are very much like physically and mentally handicapped adults
FTFY
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 29 2020, @10:03PM
Do they have any where the patient is immediately shown goatse when they wake up?