Research progress on molecular mechanisms of general anesthetic-induced neurotoxicity and cognitive impairment in the developing brain

Jiaojiao Wang; Zhihui Liu

doi:10.3389/fneur.2022.1065976

Research progress on molecular mechanisms of general anesthetic-induced neurotoxicity and cognitive impairment in the developing brain

Front Neurol. 2022 Nov 24:13:1065976. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2022.1065976. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Jiaojiao Wang^{1

2}, Zhihui Liu¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Anesthesiology, Baotou Central Hospital, Baotou, China.
² Baotou Clinical Medical College, Inner Mongolia Medical University, Baotou, China.

Abstract

General anesthetics-induced neurotoxicity and cognitive impairment in developing brains have become one of the current research hotspots in the medical science community. The underlying mechanisms are complex and involve various related molecular signaling pathways, cell mediators, autophagy, and other pathological processes. However, few drugs can be directly used to treat neurotoxicity and cognitive impairment caused by general anesthetics in clinical practice. This article reviews the molecular mechanism of general anesthesia-induced neurotoxicity and cognitive impairment in the neonatal brain after surgery in the hope of providing critical references for the treatments of clinical diseases.

Keywords: cognitive impairment; developing brain; general anesthetics; molecular mechanisms; neurotoxicity.

Publication types

Review