Scientists unveil how general anesthesia works
Monday, April 27, 2020 - 12:10
in Health & Medicine
The discovery of general anesthetics -- compounds which induce unconsciousness, prevent control of movement and block pain -- helped transform dangerous operations into safe surgery. But scientists still don't understand exactly how general anesthetics work. Now, researchers have revealed how a general anesthetic called isoflurane weakens the transmission of electrical signals between neurons, at junctions called synapses.