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According to new research, giving babies anesthetics may damage their memory in later life. Exposing newborn
monkeys to an anesthetic commonly given to humans reduced their memory one year later.
Anaesthetics drugs trigger memory-loss receptors in the brain, which remain activated even after the treatment. The researchers believe this will cause similar memory impairment in three to six-year-old humans.
Researchers at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York exposed 10 monkeys to a commonly-used anesthetic called sevoflurane for four hours.
They were given the anesthetic at seven days old, and again two and four weeks later. Research then evaluated the
monkeys’ visual recognition memory when they were six to 10 months, 12 to 18 months and 24 to 30-months-old.
Memory was measured via a test that assessed the monkeys’ preference for looking at a new image over a previously viewed one.
Anesthesia-exposed monkeys demonstrated no memory impairment at six to 10 months, but significant memory loss after one year.
The researchers believe this will cause similar memory loss in humans at around three to six years of age.
