This is your brain under anesthesia
May 11, 2021 | Wired
For the first time, researchers were able to observe, in extra-fine detail, how neurons behave as consciousness shuts down.
For the first time, researchers were able to observe, in extra-fine detail, how neurons behave as consciousness shuts down.
Global surgery, especially academic global surgery, is of tremendous interest to many surgeons. Classically, it entails personnel from high-income countries going to low- and middle-income countries and engaging in educational activities as well as procedures. Academic medical personnel have included students, residents, and attendings. The pervasive notion is that this is a win–win situation for the volunteers and the hosts, that is, a pathway to bilateral academic success. However, a critical examination demonstrates that it can easily become the bold new face of colonialism of a low- and middle-income country by a high-income country.
Anesthesia professionals – who are in close contact as they help patients breathe through airway equipment – are at increased risk of exposure to COVID-19 and should wear N95 masks or similarly protective equipment including diagnostic, therapeutic and surgical procedures, according to an updated statement from The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF), the American Academy of Anesthesiologist Assistants (AAAA) and the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA).
Anesthesia-induced loss of consciousness is accompanied by microscale changes in neural signaling patterns, according to a recent study. The results highlight the role of local network dynamics in managing conscious states. General anesthesia produces medically induced loss of consciousness (mLOC), and its implementation is fundamental to modern surgical practice. Despite the importance of mLOC, the physiologic processes underlying loss of consciousness remain unclear. Current theory suggests that a key prerequisite for consciousness is the brain’s ability to select one set of sensory input while rejecting alternatives. Research supporting this theory has identified a collection of “resting states”—patterns of cortical activity that may represent these discriminable sets of sensory inputs.
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