The goal of this project is to elucidate the long-term consequences of general anesthetics on synapse development and function, and to develop therapeutic strategies to prevent synaptic and learning deficits caused by early exposure to anesthesia. Anesthetics are commonly used for surgical operations in infants and young children. Recent studies suggest that repeated and prolonged anesthetic exposure, during the period of extensive synaptogenesis, can lead to learning and behavioral impairments later in life. However, the mechanisms by which anesthetics cause long-lasting deficits in neural circuits and learning impairments remain unknown. In this application, we will investigate the effects of single and repeated exposure to anesthetics on synaptic plasticity and function at specific stages of brain development. By using in vivo two-photon microscopy in combination with newly-generated glutamate and calcium sensors, we will determine whether repeated exposure to anesthetics during early postnatal development has long-lasting detrimental impacts on learning-dependent synaptic plasticity and function later in life. In addition, we will test the hypothesis that the adverse effects of anesthetics such as ketamine or sevoflurane are due to persistent hypofunction of glutamatergic neurotransmission and that pharmacological enhancement of the activities of ?-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptors or N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors would alleviate such effects. The proposed experiments will allow us to gain important mechanistic insights into how early exposure to anesthesia causes learning and behavioral impairments. They will also help establish novel treatment strategies directed at rescuing the detrimental effects of anesthesia on the developing brain.

Public Health Relevance

Millions of infants and young children are exposed to anesthetic agents each year, but the deleterious effects of anesthesia on the developing brain are poorly understood. This project will determine how repeated exposure to general anesthetics affects synapse development and plasticity in the mouse cortex using a combination of techniques including in vivo high-resolution imaging, biochemistry and behavioral studies. The proposed studies will provide important mechanistic insights into anesthesia-induced learning impairments and help the development of new treatment strategies.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01GM107469-02
Application #
8865648
Study Section
Surgery, Anesthesiology and Trauma Study Section (SAT)
Program Officer
Cole, Alison E
Project Start
2014-06-10
Project End
2019-02-28
Budget Start
2015-03-01
Budget End
2016-02-29
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2015
Total Cost
$315,448
Indirect Cost
$125,448
Name
New York University
Department
Anesthesiology
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
121911077
City
New York
State
NY
Country
United States
Zip Code
10016
Cichon, Joseph; Sun, Linlin; Yang, Guang (2018) Spared Nerve Injury Model of Neuropathic Pain in Mice. Bio Protoc 8:
Garré, Juan Mauricio; Yang, Guang (2018) Contributions of monocytes to nervous system disorders. J Mol Med (Berl) 96:873-883
Cichon, Joseph; Blanck, Thomas J J; Gan, Wen-Biao et al. (2017) Activation of cortical somatostatin interneurons prevents the development of neuropathic pain. Nat Neurosci 20:1122-1132
Garré, Juan Mauricio; Silva, Hernandez Moura; Lafaille, Juan J et al. (2017) CX3CR1+ monocytes modulate learning and learning-dependent dendritic spine remodeling via TNF-?. Nat Med 23:714-722
Garré, Juan Mauricio; Yang, Guang; Bukauskas, Feliksas F et al. (2017) An Acute Mouse Spinal Cord Slice Preparation for Studying Glial Activation ex vivo. Bio Protoc 7:
Huang, Lianyan; Hayes, Scott; Yang, Guang (2017) Long-lasting behavioral effects in neonatal mice with multiple exposures to ketamine-xylazine anesthesia. Neurotoxicol Teratol 60:75-81
Wang, B; Liu, Y; Huang, L et al. (2017) A CNS-permeable Hsp90 inhibitor rescues synaptic dysfunction and memory loss in APP-overexpressing Alzheimer's mouse model via an HSF1-mediated mechanism. Mol Psychiatry 22:990-1001
Yang, Siming; Gu, Changping; Mandeville, Emiri T et al. (2017) Anesthesia and Surgery Impair Blood-Brain Barrier and Cognitive Function in Mice. Front Immunol 8:902
Li, Wei; Ma, Lei; Yang, Guang et al. (2017) REM sleep selectively prunes and maintains new synapses in development and learning. Nat Neurosci 20:427-437
Ma, Lei; Qiao, Qian; Tsai, Jin-Wu et al. (2016) Experience-dependent plasticity of dendritic spines of layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons in the mouse cortex. Dev Neurobiol 76:277-286

Showing the most recent 10 out of 14 publications