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21/06/01/0412223 story

Escape from Oblivion: Innovative Experiment Shows How the Brain Reboots after Deep Anesthesia

posted by Fnord666 on Tuesday June 01 2021, @04:09PM   
from the Have-you-tried-turning-it-off-and-back-on-again? dept.

martyb writes:

Escape From Oblivion: Innovative Experiment Shows How the Brain Reboots After Deep Anesthesia:

Millions of surgical procedures performed each year would not be possible without the aid of general anesthesia, the miraculous medical ability to turn off consciousness in a reversible and controllable way.

Researchers are using this powerful tool to better understand how the brain reconstitutes consciousness and cognition after disruptions caused by sleep, medical procedures requiring anesthesia, and neurological dysfunctions such as coma.

[...] In the study, 30 healthy adults were anesthetized for three hours. Their brain activity was measured with EEG and their sleep-wake activity was measured before and after the experiment. Each participant was given cognitive tests—designed to measure reaction speed, memory, and other functions—before receiving anesthesia, right after the return of consciousness, and then every 30 minutes thereafter.

[...] After the anesthetic was discontinued and participants regained consciousness, cognitive testing began. A second control group of study participants, who did not receive general anesthesia and stayed awake, also completed tests over the same time period.

Analyzing EEG and test performance, the researchers found that recovery of consciousness and cognition is a process that unfolds over time, not all at once. To the investigators' surprise, one of the brain functions that came online first was abstract problem solving, controlled by the prefrontal cortex, whereas other functions such as reaction time and attention took longer to recover.

The EEG readings revealed that the frontal regions of the brain were especially active around the time of recovery. Importantly, within three hours of being deeply anesthetized for a prolonged period of time, participants were able to recover cognitive function to approximately the same level as the group that stayed awake during that time. Furthermore, their sleep schedule in the days after the experiment did not appear to be affected.

Journal Reference:
George A Mashour, Ben JA Palanca, Mathias Basner, et al. Recovery of consciousness and cognition after general anesthesia in humans, (DOI: 10.7554/eLife.59525)

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Original Submission

• Study done using white males, of courseStudy done using white males, of course (Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 01 2021, @04:21PM (6 children)

  by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 01 2021, @04:21PM (#1140771)

  So there's no way of knowing what the impact of general anesthesia would be on beings with less highly developed consciousness.

  • Re:Study done using white males, of courseRe:Study done using white males, of course (Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 01 2021, @04:46PM (5 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 01 2021, @04:46PM (#1140783)

    There is another study planned for California Democrats that should answer your question.

    Parent

    • Re:Study done using white males, of courseRe:Study done using white males, of course (Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 01 2021, @06:50PM (4 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 01 2021, @06:50PM (#1140830)

      Study done using white males, of course So there's no way of knowing what the impact of general anesthesia would be on beings with less highly developed consciousness.

      There is another study planned for California Democrats that should answer your question.

      I love how this modded-up post openly and comfortably admits the Republican's preference for only having white people in their party.

      Parent

      • Re:Study done using white males, of courseRe:Study done using white males, of course (Score: 1) by khallow on Tuesday June 01 2021, @09:22PM (1 child)

        by khallow (3766) on Tuesday June 01 2021, @09:22PM (#1140855) Journal

        Clearly, this dude should be making all our top decisions.

        Parent

        • Re:Study done using white males, of course(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 01 2021, @09:30PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 01 2021, @09:30PM (#1140857)

          His decisions certainly don't seem to be a deal-breaker.

          Parent

      • Re:Study done using white males, of courseRe:Study done using white males, of course (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 01 2021, @10:52PM (1 child)

        by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 01 2021, @10:52PM (#1140878)

        Whoosh. California Democrats are mostly privileged white people. Those little brown immigrants? They are much more conservative than California Democrats. And, smarter too.

        Parent

        • Re:Study done using white males, of course(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 01 2021, @11:22PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 01 2021, @11:22PM (#1140884)

          So the reason you want to keep them out with a big wall has nothing to do with the content of their character or the value they bring to society. The honesty is appreciated.

          Parent

• So,(Score: 0, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 01 2021, @05:59PM

  by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 01 2021, @05:59PM (#1140807)

  General Anesthesia, Colonel Panic, and Major Asshole walk into a bar...

• So, are you saying . . . ?(Score: 3, Interesting) by DannyB on Tuesday June 01 2021, @07:21PM

  by DannyB (5839) on Tuesday June 01 2021, @07:21PM (#1140835) Journal

  So are we to believe that it is not deliberate due to design of the drugs, but rather some artifact of biology that so many YouTube videos of people waking up from anesthesia are so funny?

  --
  Why is it so difficult to break a heroine addiction?

• Waking UpWaking Up (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 01 2021, @07:35PM (1 child)

  by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 01 2021, @07:35PM (#1140836)

  [T]he researchers found that recovery of consciousness and cognition is a process that unfolds over time, not all at once. To the investigators' surprise, one of the brain functions that came online first was abstract problem solving, controlled by the prefrontal cortex, whereas other functions such as reaction time and attention took longer to recover.

  Anecdotally, this reminds me of waking up. I decide whether I need to panic about being late to $activity before I enjoy a slow, relaxing morning or run an adrenaline-fueled race out the door. (Insomnia can yield late rising.)
  Brain needs fight or flight response on startup?

  • Re:Waking Up(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 01 2021, @09:49PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 01 2021, @09:49PM (#1140860)

    Brain needs time to assess the situation before allowing the fight or flight response to jump in.

    Parent