General anesthesia: how it works

Author(s): Tessa Smith*

General anaesthesia is essential for a number of operations and procedures. The precise mechanics behind anaesthetics are still not well understood, despite their ubiquitous use. Inevitably, anaesthetics have an impact on the brain, mostly via altering target receptors. However, because of the enormous interconnectivity of neural activity, long-range impacts can still happen even if the action is localised to a single neuron

Using mathematical models that allow for the study of neural connection dynamics, the strength of this connectivity may be understood. These models also enable the development of theories regarding potential modes of action for various anaesthetic kinds.

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