Does enriched environment improve quality of anesthesia? Neuroscientific research in amygdala/hippocampus

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K09322
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 55050:Anesthesiology-related
• Research Institution: University of Toyama
• Principal Investigator: Hirota Koki 富山大学, 学術研究部医学系, 准教授 (30218854)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 佐々木 利佳 富山大学, 学術研究部医学系, 助教 (10345572)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 環境エンリッチメント / 全身麻酔薬 / 扁桃体 / 海馬 / ラット / 揮発性麻酔薬 / 静脈麻酔薬

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In order to test the hypothesis that environmental enrichment (EE) can modify actions of general anesthetics, we studied effects of general anesthetics on synaptic transmission in amygdala-hippocampal slice preparation from the rats reared in standard environment (SE) and EE. Inhibitory actions of general anesthetics in CA1, with activation of amygdala, were enhanced by EE, suggesting that neurotransmitter recruitment was accelerated by EE. The modification was more prominent in the presence of intravenous anesthetics than with volatile agents. Together with previous our study on aging brain, EE might compensate age-related impairment on hippocampal synaptic transmission.

Free Research Field

麻酔科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

実験動物を豊かな環境で飼育して心理的幸福感を与えると（環境エンリッチメント：EE），扁桃体および海馬の神経新生が亢進し，情動行動および記憶・学習能力に影響を及ぼすことが知られている．当該研究の知見からEEは扁桃体/海馬間の神経結合を豊かにし，全身麻酔作用を安定化することが明らかとなった．術前の精神状態が中枢神経系に影響を及ぼし全身麻酔作用を修飾することが示唆されることから，術前に病院スタッフによる精神的ケアを行った患者では，極度の不安を抱えた患者に比較して，手術中の全身麻酔薬の必要量が少なく麻酔作用が安定すると考えられた．