Key result
Early high-dose infant anesthesia is linked to increased white matter diffusivity versus late-low-dose exposure.
Why the study?
Concerns exist regarding potential neurotoxic effects of anesthetics on the developing brain, making the timing and dosage of exposure critical clinical considerations.
Does early high-dose anesthesia exposure negatively influence structural brain development in rhesus macaques?
Cohort (n=26)
Yes
Does early high-dose anesthesia exposure negatively influence structural brain development in rhesus macaques?
Early or high-dose anesthesia exposure during infancy disrupts structural brain development (white matter integrity) in rhesus monkeys, suggesting the need for strategic planning of elective procedures in children and pregnant women.
Concerns about the potential neurotoxic effects of anesthetics on developing brain exist. When making clinical decisions, the timing and dosage of anesthetic exposure are critical factors to consider due to their associated risks. In our study, we investigated the impact of repeated anesthetic exposures on the brain development trajectory of a cohort of rhesus monkeys (n = 26) over their first 2 yr of life, utilizing longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging data. We hypothesized that early or high-dose anesthesia exposure could negatively influence structural brain development. By employing the generalized additive mixed model, we traced the longitudinal trajectories of brain volume, cortical thickness, and white matter integrity. The interaction analysis revealed that age and cumulative anesthetic dose were variably linked to white matter integrity but not to morphometric measures. Early high-dose exposure was associated with increased mean, axial, and radial diffusivities across all white matter regions, compared to late-low-dose exposure. Our findings indicate that early or high-dose anesthesia exposure during infancy disrupts structural brain development in rhesus monkeys. Consequently, the timing of elective surgeries and procedures that require anesthesia for children and pregnant women should be strategically planned to account for the cumulative dose of volatile anesthetics, aiming to minimize the potential risks to brain development.
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Kim et al. (2023) conducted a cohort in Brain development (n=26). Early high-dose anesthesia exposure vs. Late-low-dose anesthesia exposure was evaluated on White matter integrity (mean, axial, and radial diffusivities) (p=<0.001). Early high-dose exposure to anesthesia during infancy was associated with increased mean, axial, and radial diffusivities across all white matter regions compared to late-low-dose exposure.
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