Molecular and cellular mechanisms
of general anaesthesia
by
Franks NP, Lieb WR.
Biophysics Section, Blackett Laboratory,
Imperial College of Science,
Technology & Medicine, London, UK.
Nature. 1994 Feb 17;367(6464):607-14

ABSTRACT

General anaesthetics are much more selective than is usually appreciated and may act by binding to only a small number of targets in the central nervous system. At surgical concentrations their principal effects are on ligand-gated (rather than voltage-gated) ion channels, with potentiation of postsynaptic inhibitory channel activity best fitting the pharmacological profile observed in general anaesthesia. Although the role of second messengers remains uncertain, it is now clear that anaesthetics act directly on proteins rather than on lipids.

People
Injections
Anaesthesia
Adverse effects
General anaesthetics
Obstetric anaesthesia
Molecular mechanisms
Inhalational techniques
Nitrous oxide: adverse effects
Parkinson's disease and anaesthetics
Anaesthesia: rivalries and discoveries
Consciousness, anaesthesia and anaesthetics
Anaesthetic effects on neurotransmitter uptake

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