Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE
January 9, 2026
Tingjun Zhang, Shujuan Yan, Hui Wang et al.
In elderly patients undergoing laparoscopic prostate cancer surgery, adding intravenous esketamine to conventional anesthesia was associated with reduced need for other anesthetics (remifentanil, propofol, and muscle relaxants), better hemodynamic stability (higher heart rate and blood pressure just after intubation, lower values one hour into surgery), slightly longer awakening time but less agitation and severe coughing, shorter postanesthesia care unit stays, lower pain scores immediately and at 6 and 24 hours after surgery, higher scores on a mental status exam at 1 and 7 days postoperatively, and a lower incidence of postoperative cognitive dysfunction. The only adverse event that differed was more mild drowsiness in the esketamine group. The findings suggest esketamine may benefit recovery and cognitive outcomes in this population.
Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE
August 1, 2025
Kwang-Mook Jung, Alex Mabou Tagne, Heidi C Avalos et al.
THC, the intoxicating component of cannabis, activates CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors in the brain and body, affecting numerous physiological processes. The endocannabinoid system's functions change across the lifespan, with adolescence being a period of particular sensitivity. This article describes a protocol for preparing and administering THC to adolescent and young adult mice of both sexes via intraperitoneal injection at doses of 1, 5, and 10 mg/kg. The protocol illustrates THC's well-known effects: catalepsy, reduced locomotor activity, and suppressed nociception. Procedures for legally obtaining and storing THC in compliance with U.S. regulations are also outlined.
Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE
May 29, 2026
Tommi Kiiso, Paula Partanen, Keyrstin Jacobs et al.
A new surgical protocol creates a large, durable, resealable cranial window in mice that preserves the dura mater, enabling stable, long-term recordings from over 1,000 electrodes. This technique allows simultaneous surface and deep brain recordings from the default mode network over several weeks, offering a platform to study network-wide brain dynamics and evaluate chronic effects of treatments for disorders like major depressive disorder.
Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE
March 8, 2019
Mai Minoura, Iori Tani, Takahiro Ishii et al.
A squeeze machine that applies pressure along the whole body, used by autistic people for relaxation, may transform bodily self-consciousness. The authors hypothesized that such a transformation could enable empathy for others, as claimed by the machine's inventor, Dr. Temple Grandin. In an experiment, they simplified the machine's design and measured changes in peri-personal space (PPS), the area immediately surrounding the body. During squeeze-machine use, the usual boundaries of PPS disappeared, and subjective reports indicated that bodily self-consciousness drifted between the external pressure and internal bodily forces, leading to a loss of fixed PPS boundaries. The results suggest the machine alters the sense of bodily self.
Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE
January 13, 2018
Andria Pelentritou, Levin Kuhlmann, John Cormack et al.
Inhaling the gaseous anesthetics nitrous oxide (N2O) and xenon (Xe) allows study of brain activity during unconsciousness via simultaneous magnetoencephalography (MEG) and electroencephalography (EEG). Healthy male participants received step-wise increasing concentrations of Xe (8, 16, 24, 42%) and N2O (16, 32, 47%) in a repeated measures cross-over design. An auditory continuous performance task tracked responsiveness. The protocol, refined over multiple sessions, details subject recruitment, equipment setup, data collection, and basic analysis. Results show sensor-level raw data, spectral topography, minimal head movements, and level-dependent effects on auditory evoked responses. The method can be adapted for volatile and intravenous anesthetics to advance understanding of macro-scale anesthesia mechanisms.