Cited by 126Sleep and Wakefulness ResearchAnesthesia and Sedative AgentsAnesthesia and Neurotoxicity Research

Brain areas that influence general anesthesia

Leung, L. Stan, Luo, Tao, Ma, Jingyi, Herrick, Ian·2014·Progress in Neurobiology

Abstract

This document reviews the literature on local brain manipulation of general anesthesia in animals, focusing on behavioral and electrographic effects related to hypnosis or loss of consciousness. Local inactivation or lesion of wake-active areas, such as locus coeruleus, dorsal raphe, pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus, perifornical area, tuberomammillary nucleus, ventral tegmental area and basal forebrain, enhanced general anesthesia. Anesthesia enhancement was shown as a delayed emergence (recovery of righting reflex) from anesthesia or a decrease in the minimal alveolar concentration that induced loss of righting. Local activation of various wake-active areas, including pontis oralis and centromedial thalamus, promoted behavioral or electrographic arousal during maintained anesthesia and facilitated emergence. Lesion of the sleep-active ventrolateral preoptic area resulted in increased wakefulness and decreased isoflurane sensitivity, but only for 6 days after lesion. Inactivation of any structure within limbic circuits involving the medial septum, hippocampus, nucleus accumbens, ventral pallidum, and ventral tegmental area, amygdala, entorhinal and piriform cortex delayed emergence from anesthesia, and often reduced anesthetic-induced behavioral excitation. In summary, the concept that anesthesia works on the sleep-wake system has received strong support from studies that inactivated/lesioned or activated wake-active areas, and weak support from studies that lesioned sleep-active areas. In addition to the conventional wake-sleep areas, limbic structures such as the medial septum, hippocampus and prefrontal cortex are also involved in the behavioral response to general anesthesia. We suggest that hypnosis during general anesthesia may result from disrupting the wake-active neuronal activities in multiple areas and suppressing an atropine-resistant cortical activation associated with movements.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2014.08.001

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  • Many of these wake-promoting nuclei have been studied as targets of inhibitory effects of general anesthetics.

    “Many of these nuclei have been explored as targets of the inhibitory effects of general anesthetics [113]”

    From The Biology of General Anesthesia from Paramecium to Primate (2019) · cites this paper as [113]

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Authors
Leung, L. S., Luo, T., Ma, J., & Herrick, I.
Affiliations
  • Peking University Shenzhen Hospital (CN)
  • Western University (CA)
Venue
Progress in Neurobiology
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2014-11
Volume
122
Pages
24-44
ISSN
0301-0082 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2001908985
Cited by
126
References
283
Citations by year
2026: 7 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 9 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 2
FWCI
0.74
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Progress in Neurobiology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Scholarship@Western (Western University) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Canadian Institutes of Health
  • Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Sleep and Wakefulness Research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine › Anesthesia and Sedative Agents
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Developmental Neuroscience › Anesthesia and Neurotoxicity Research
Keywords
general anesthesia, emergence from anesthesia, locus coeruleus, dorsal raphe nucleus, pedunculopontine nucleus, perifornical area, tuberomammillary nucleus, ventral tegmental area, basal forebrain, ventrolateral preoptic area, limbic system, medial septum, hippocampus, nucleus accumbens, ventral pallidum, amygdala, prefrontal cortex, anesthetic sensitivity, isoflurane, loss of consciousness, hypnosis, righting reflex, lesion studies, brain activation
MeSH terms
Anesthesia, General, Animals, Brain, Humans, Sleep, Wakefulness, Anesthetics, General

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