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Article: General anesthetics lead to learning disabilities in animal models.
- Article from:
- NewsRx Health
- Article date:
- November 15, 2009
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Studies by researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine have shown that blocking the NMDA receptor in immature rats leads to profound, rapid brain injury and disruption of auditory function as the animals mature.
The N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor is activated when a chemical in the brain called glutamate is released by brain cells. This allows calcium to enter into these cells, which can then influence a wide array of important functions. By blocking the receptor, calcium entry is prevented, leading to loss of many of these functions.
Some types of anesthetics used in humans to perform medical procedures act by blocking this receptor, ...