Using Positron Emission Tomography in Revealing the Mystery of General Anesthesia: Study Design Challenges and Opportunities.
Harry Scheinin, Emilee C Alkire, Annalotta Scheinin, Michael Alkire, Oskari Kantonen, Jaakko Långsjö
Methods in enzymology 2018 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2018.01.025 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Anesthesia mechanisms Consciousness General anesthesia Neuroimaging Positron emission tomography |
| Key findings | Argues that PET imaging is a cornerstone for studying how general anesthetics affect the central nervous system, and that general anesthesia offers a safe way to manipulate consciousness for research. Proposes that separating consciousness-related brain changes from dose-dependent drug effects requires advanced clinical pharmacology, specific anesthetic drugs, and innovative study designs. |
Abstract
Functional neuroimaging with positron emission tomography (PET) is one of the cornerstones for studying the central nervous system effects of general anesthetics and anesthesia mechanisms. General anesthesia offers a unique and safe way to directly manipulate consciousness, and can thus be used as a powerful research tool to study the neurobiology of human consciousness. In this chapter, we will address the possibilities of PET imaging in revealing the mysteries of general anesthesia and anesthetic induced unconsciousness and summarize some of the recent advancements in the field. Importantly, we will discuss possible ways to separate brain activity changes associated with the changing level of consciousness from the concentration or dose-dependent direct or indirect drug effects on the brain. We will try to demonstrate how state-of-the-art clinical pharmacology, use of specific anesthetic drugs, and innovative study design solutions could be utilized.
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- General Anesthesia: A Probe to Explore Consciousness Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience August 14, 2019
- Foundations of Human Consciousness: Imaging the Twilight Zone. Journal of Neuroscience February 24, 2021
- Decreased Thalamic Activity Is a Correlate for Disconnectedness during Anesthesia with Propofol, Dexmedetomidine and Sevoflurane But Not S-Ketamine. Journal of Neuroscience June 28, 2023
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