Considering that over 200 million people undergo surgery each year, it's important to know whether common anesthetics could increase one's risk for Alzheimer's or other cognitive disorders.

Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School recently studied human brain cells subjected to the common anesthetic desflurane for six hours in order to simulate a surgery situation. They found that when oxygen levels were normal, desflurane did not adversely affect the brain cells. However, when the cells were subjected to low oxygen levels, the desflurane was associated with increased production of beta amyloid, a protein found in elevated quantities in the brains of those with Alzheimer's. Low oxygen alone did not increase beta amyloid production.

What does this mean? The researchers say that because the study used cell cultures, their next step is to test the findings in animal models. It's not certain that anesthesia and low oxygen actually increase beta amyloid production in humans during surgery, but this is an important area of study given the prevalence of anesthetic use in medical care.

Suggested Reading:

• What Causes Alzheimer's?
• Treatments for Alzheimer's

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