Study reveals how anaesthesia causes jet-lag
April 17, 2012 in Medical research
(Medical Xpress) -- Researchers from The University of Auckland have discovered why people feel as though they have jet-lag after surgery, and the findings may have implications for post-operative recovery.
Our work shows that general anaesthesia effectively shifts you to a different time zone, producing chemically-induced jet-lag, explains lead researcher Dr Guy Warman from the Department of Anaesthesiology and School of Biological Sciences at The University of Auckland. It provides a scientific explanation for why people wake up from surgery feeling as though very little time has passed.
The study showed for the first time that general anaesthetic alters the activity of key genes that control the biological clock, shifting them to a different time zone. The effect persists for at least three days, even in the presence of strong light cues telling the brain the correct time of day.
Its been known for some time that after anaesthesia peoples biological clocks are disrupted, and this can compromise their sleep pattern and mood as well as wound healing and immune function. By understanding why this happens we can work out how to treat it and potentially improve post-operative recovery, says Dr Warman.
The work was done using honey bees. It might sound unusual, but in fact bees are an ideal species to study time perception. Honey bees have an amazingly accurate sense of time, which allows them to forage and find flowers in the right place at the right time of day. By looking at their behaviour we can get a clear idea of what time of day they think it is, and quantify the effects of anaesthesia. An added advantage is that their biological clocks work in a very similar way to mammals.
In the research, bees were trained to travel to a specific food source before being given a commonly-used anaesthetic. By tracking the direction they flew after waking from anaesthesia, or how long their foraging behaviour was delayed, researchers could work out what time of day the bees thought it was. The results showed that the bees sense of time was significantly slowed during anaesthesia.
The researchers are already putting their findings to use in clinical studies in New Zealand, examining the extent of post-operative jet-lag in patients and how it may be treated.
The honey bee work was funded by a Marsden grant and has been published in the latest issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
More information: www.pnas.org/conte… 9/1201734109
Provided by University of Auckland
-
Unlike us, honeybees naturally make 'quick switch' in their biological clocks: research
Oct 13, 2010 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Making bees less busy: Social environment changes internal clocks
Sep 14, 2010 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Antibiotic dangers trap bees in a Catch 22
Nov 02, 2011 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Wiggling and waggling: Study sheds light on amazing bee brain
Dec 21, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
-
A widely used bee antibiotic may harm rather than help
Nov 02, 2011 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Motion perception revisited: High Phi effect challenges established motion perception assumptions
Apr 23, 2013 |
3 / 5 (2) |
2
-
Anything you can do I can do better: Neuromolecular foundations of the superiority illusion (Update)
Apr 02, 2013 |
4.5 / 5 (11) |
5
-
The visual system as economist: Neural resource allocation in visual adaptation
Mar 30, 2013 |
5 / 5 (2) |
9
-
Separate lives: Neuronal and organismal lifespans decoupled
Mar 27, 2013 |
4.9 / 5 (8) |
0
-
Sizing things up: The evolutionary neurobiology of scale invariance
Feb 28, 2013 |
4.8 / 5 (10) |
14
-
Why is zone 1 in liver more prone to ischemic injury?
May 23, 2013
-
How can there be villous adenoma in colon, if there are no villi there
May 22, 2013
-
How can there be a term called "intestinal metaplasia" of stomach
May 21, 2013
-
Pressure-volume curve: Elastic Recoil Pressure don't make sense
May 18, 2013
-
If you became brain-dead, would you want them to pull the plug?
May 17, 2013
-
MRI bill question
May 15, 2013
- More from Physics Forums - Medical Sciences
More news stories
Study reveals new mechanism for estrogen suppression of liver lipid synthesis
By discovering the new mechanism by which estrogen suppresses lipid synthesis in the liver, UC Irvine endocrinologists have revealed a potential new approach toward treating certain liver diseases.
Medical research
May 23, 2013 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
|
MRI-based measurement helps predict vascular disease in the brain
Aortic arch pulse wave velocity, a measure of arterial stiffness, is a strong independent predictor of disease of the vessels that supply blood to the brain, according to a new study published in the June issue the journal ...
Medical research
May 23, 2013 |
not rated yet |
0
Antibiotics: A new understanding of sulfonamide nervous system side effects
Since the discovery of Prontosil in 1932, sulfonamide antibiotics have been used to combat a wide spectrum of bacterial infections, from acne to chlamydia and pneumonia. However, their side effects can include serious neurological ...
Medical research
May 23, 2013 |
3 / 5 (1) |
0
|
Scientists discover molecule triggers sensation of itch
Scientists at the National Institutes of Health report they have discovered in mouse studies that a small molecule released in the spinal cord triggers a process that is later experienced in the brain as ...
Medical research
May 23, 2013 |
5 / 5 (3) |
0
|
Discarded immune cells induce the relocation of stem cells
Spanish researchers have discovered that the daily clearance of neutrophils from the body stimulates the release of hematopoietic stem cells from the bone marrow into the bloodstream, according to a report published today ...
Medical research
May 23, 2013 |
5 / 5 (2) |
0
Heart failure accelerates male 'menopause'
Heart failure accelerates the aging process and brings on early andropausal syndrome (AS), according to research presented today at the Heart Failure Congress 2013. AS, also referred to as male 'menopause', was four times ...
First drug to improve heart failure mortality in over a decade
Coenzyme Q10 decreases all cause mortality by half, according to the results of a multicentre randomised double blind trial presented today at Heart Failure 2013 congress. It is the first drug to improve heart failure mortality ...
Feds fight morning-after pill age ruling in NY
(AP)—Department of Justice lawyers have again asked a federal appeals court in New York to delay lifting age restrictions and prescription requirements on an emergency contraceptive popularly known as the morning-after ...
Death highest in heart failure patients admitted in January, on Friday, and overnight
Mortality and length of stay are highest in heart failure patients admitted in January, on Friday, and overnight, according to research presented today at the Heart Failure Congress 2013. The analysis of nearly 1 million ...
Engineered cytomegalovirus protects monkeys from HIV equivalent
(Medical Xpress)—A new study by researchers in the US has shown that an ancient virus can be modified to help in the fight against the simian immunodeficiency virus SIV, which is the equivalent in monkeys ...
Researchers identify first drug targets in childhood genetic tumor disorder
Two mutations central to the development of infantile myofibromatosis (IM)—a disorder characterized by multiple tumors involving the skin, bone, and soft tissue—may provide new therapeutic targets, according to researchers ...