Common surgical anesthetic induces Alzheimer’s-associated changes in mouse brains

Thursday, November 13, 2008 - 11:28 in Health & Medicine

For the first time researchers have shown that a commonly used anesthetic can produce changes associated with Alzheimer’s disease in the brains of living mammals, confirming previous laboratory studies.  In their Annals of Neurology report, which has received early online release, a team of Harvard researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) shows how administration of the gas isoflurane can lead to generation of the toxic amyloid-beta (A-beta) protein in the brains of mice.read more

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