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Infant isoflurane exposure affects social behaviours, but does not impair specific cognitive domains in juvenile

Viola Neudecker1, Jose F Perez-Zoghbi1, Kristine Coleman2

  • 1Department of Anesthesiology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.

British Journal of Anaesthesia
|November 17, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Repeated infant anesthesia exposure in non-human primates (NHPs) altered social behavior, while single exposures increased anxiety and behavioral inhibition. Cognitive functions remained unaffected in this study on early-life anesthesia effects.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Behavioral Science
  • Anesthesiology

Background:

  • Clinical studies indicate early-life anesthesia exposure in children leads to normal intelligence but altered social behaviors.
  • Infant anesthesia in non-human primates (NHPs) causes neurobehavioral impairments, including delayed motor skills and increased anxiety.
  • The impact of anesthesia on spontaneous social behaviors in juvenile NHPs remains under-investigated.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effects of single versus multiple isoflurane anesthesia exposures on spontaneous social behaviors in infant NHPs.
  • To determine if anesthesia exposure impacts cognitive domains and behavioral inhibition in juvenile NHPs.
  • To correlate findings with observed behavioral alterations in human pediatric anesthesia studies.

Main Methods:

  • Eight Rhesus macaques per group were exposed to room air (control) or anesthetized with isoflurane for 5 hours once (1×) or thrice (3×) between postnatal days 6-12.
  • Cognitive testing, home environment behavioral assessments, and provoked response testing were conducted over the first two years of life.

Main Results:

  • Cognitive functions did not significantly differ across groups.
  • NHPs exposed thrice (3×) exhibited reduced close social behavior (P=0.016).
  • Single exposure (1×) resulted in increased anxiety-related behaviors (P=0.038) and heightened inhibition towards novel objects (P<0.001).

Conclusions:

  • Five-hour isoflurane exposures in infant NHPs are linked to decreased social behavior after multiple exposures.
  • Single exposures are associated with increased anxiety and behavioral inhibition, without affecting tested cognitive domains.
  • Findings align with clinical observations of social behavior changes in children exposed to early-life anesthesia, guiding future research.
Abstract

Keywords:
anaesthesiabehaviourbrain developmentcognitive testingneurotoxicitynon-human primatesocial behaviour

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