PMID: 7535693Jan 1, 1995Paper

The synaptic basis of general anaesthesia

European Journal of Anaesthesiology
C D Richards

Abstract

The cellular and synaptic mechanisms that underpin the state of general anaesthesia are discussed. Anaesthetics act principally on synaptic processes and this provides a satisfactory basis for understanding their effects on neural networks. Although anaesthetics affect both the release of neurotransmitters and post-synaptic receptor function, the effects on post-synaptic receptors are always of importance in the modulation of synaptic transmission. Effects on action potential firing patterns also play a role in anaesthetic modulation of neuronal signalling. Many of these complex data can be explained in terms of altered ion channel function.

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