Neural Mechanisms of Anesthesia (Contemporary Clinical Neuroscience)

Leading investigators critically evaluate the latest information on how anesthetics work at the molecular, cellular, organ, and whole animal level. These distinguished experts review anesthetic effects on memory, consciousness, and movement and spell out in detail both the anatomic structures and physiological processes that are their likely targets, as well as the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which they operate. Comprehensive and authoritative, Neural Mechanisms of Anesthesia draws together and critically reviews all the recent research on anesthetic mechanisms, highlighting the precise routes along which these substances operate, and how this deeper understanding will lead to the design of effective drugs free ofundesirable side effects. Booknews Rather than focus primarily on molecular mechanisms, the 27 papers presented by Antognini (U. of California at Davis School of Medicine), Carstens (U. of California at Davis School of Medicine), and Raines (Harvard Medical School) examine anesthetic mechanisms on the molecular, cellular, organ system, and whole body levels. They have organized the material into sex sections that discuss the history of research into mechanisms of anesthesia, cover topics related to consciousness and memory, describe physiological and pathophysiological states related to anesthesia, review the anatomic structures and physiological processes that are the likely targets of anesthetics, look at cellular and molecular mechanisms, and explore the future of research. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR Although anesthetics have been used successfully for over 150 years, their mechanisms of action are little understood, a fact that significantly limits our ability to design new and safer agents. In Neural Mechanisms of Anesthesia, leading investigators critically evaluate the latest information on how anesthetics work at the molecular, cellular, organ, and whole animal level. These distinguished experts review anesthetic effects on memory, consciousness, and movement and spell out in detail both the anatomic structures and physiological processes that are their likely targets, as well as the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which they operate. They also discuss drugs that are not truly general anesthetics, but are frequently used in clinical practice and can affect the action of general anesthetics (e.g., local anesthetics, opiates, neuromuscular blocking drugs). Comprehensive and authoritative, Neural Mechanisms of Anesthesia draws together and critically reviews all the recent research on anesthetic mechanisms, highlighting the precise routes along which these substances operate, and how this deeper understanding will lead to the design of effective drugs free of undesirable side effects Investigators critically evaluate the latest information on how anesthetics work at the molecular, cellular, organ, and whole animal level. They review anesthetic effects on memory, consciousness, and movement and spell out in detail both the anatomic structures and physiological processes that are their likely targets, as well as the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which they operate. This text draws together and reviews all the recent research on anesthetic mechanisms, highlighting the precise routes along which these substances operate, and how this deeper understanding will lead to the design of effective drugs free of undesirable side effects Even before Morton's demonstration of surgical anesthesia in Boston, on October 16, 1846, physicians and scientists had begun to explore mechanisms by which drugs affect the central nervous system.