Collapse of Global Neuronal States in Caenorhabditis elegans under Isoflurane Anesthesia

Conclusions Anesthesia with isoflurane inC. elegans corresponds to high-frequency randomization of individual neuron activity, loss of coordination between neurons, and a collapse of system-wide functional organization.Editor ’s PerspectiveWhat We Already Know about This TopicExperimental and human electrophysiologic data suggest that the anesthetic state results from a breakdown in effective communication between neurons in the central nervous systemSystem-wide measurements of neuronal activity with single cell resolution under anesthesia have not been previously reportedWhat This Article Tells Us That Is NewIn vivo imaging of neuronal network activity with single cell resolution inCaenorhabditis elegans reveals that although neurons display highly correlated activity in awake animals, this system-wide organization in neuronal activity is lost under isoflurane anesthesiaThese observations at the single cell level in a complex neuronal network confirm previous electrophysiologic works suggesting functional disintegration of neuronal circuitry as a mechanism of anesthetic-induced unconsciousness
Source: Anesthesiology - Category: Anesthesiology Source Type: research