Some general anesthesia affects region of brain responsible for memory
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Drugs used in general anesthesia may cause structural changes in the area of the brain responsible for memory, a new study has found. File Photo by Julian Rovagnati/Shutterstock
April 1 (UPI) -- Different general anesthetics used during surgical procedures cause chemical changes in patients' brains, affecting memory, a study published Thursday by PLOS Biology found.
Three commonly used combinations of anesthetics, tested on mice, all changed brain activity in the hippocampus -- the region of the brain responsible for memory -- compared to "wakefulness," or not being under anesthesia, or natural sleep, the study showed.