If you have ever been under general anesthetic, it is very unlikely you will recall anything that went on around you throughout the procedure. But according to researchers, the human brain can continue to show signs of perceptual awareness up to a certain point.
Researchers from the Centre for Functional Resonance Imaging of the Brain (FMRIB) at the University of Oxford in the UK, say through monitoring patients' brain waves while under anesthetic, they were able to pinpoint degrees of consciousness dependent on the doses of anesthetic administered.
The researchers say their findings could lead to personalized methods for administering accurate doses of anesthetic to patients undergoing operations, potentially reducing associated health risks.
The study, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, involved monitoring 16 patients who received propofol - a standard anesthetic - over an extended period of time.
Anesthesia 'not needed' after specific point
While the patients were anesthetized, researchers exposed them to various stimuli, some of which required motor responses. During the process, electrical activity in the patients' brains was monitored using electroencephalography (EEG).
From this, the researchers discovered similar patterns of behavior in all patients as they gradually lost consciousness under the anesthetic. However, these behaviors happened at different points for each individual.
No comments:
Post a Comment