A loss of controlled inhibition of overly excited brain cells might explain how a common knock-out anesthesia drug works.
A new animal study led by researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has found that propofol, a sedative used to safely lull people into unconsciousness for medical procedures, disrupts the brain’s normal ability to regain control of highly excitable neurons.
“The brain has to operate on this knife’s edge between excitability and chaos,” explains MIT neuroscientist and senior study author Earl Miller.
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