Infants exposed to gamma-aminobutyric acid-based anesthetics, such as sevoflurane or propofol, before 2 months of age showed faster development of visual brain responses by 2 to 5 months, according to a July 28 study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Researchers from Boston Children’s Hospital and Boston-based Northeastern University recorded brain activity using electroencephalogram while infants viewed visual stimuli. The study is the first to demonstrate in humans that GABA-based anesthetics may influence early brain development, a mechanism previously observed in animal models.
Earlier findings published in BJA Open showed no significant long-term cognitive or behavioral effects. A large, international, multicenter trial of remifentanil dexmedetomidine versus standard-dose sevoflurane anesthesia in children ages 2 years or younger, or TREX, tested anesthetic combinations that limit GABA exposure in newborns.
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