Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 25, 2025
08:49
Assessing Changes in Volatile General Anesthetic Sensitivity of Mice after Local or Systemic Pharmacological Intervention
Published on: October 16, 2013
14.2K
Time-restricted feeding alters isoflurane-induced memory deficits
Jia Song1, Shuaishuai Chu1, Xin Fang1
1Department of Anesthesiology, Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Medical Department of Nanjing University, 321 Zhong Shan Road, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210008, P. R. China.
Translational Neuroscience
|December 18, 2020
Summary
Restricting food intake to the active phase (night feeding) can prevent cognitive deficits caused by anesthesia. Misaligned feeding disrupts daily rhythms and prolongs anesthesia-related cognitive impairment.
Area of Science:
- Chronobiology
- Neuroscience
- Anesthesiology
Background:
- Circadian desynchrony, often caused by eating during rest periods, is linked to physiological and mental disorders.
- Previous research implicated circadian desynchrony in isoflurane-induced cognitive impairment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of scheduled food access on daily rhythms and isoflurane-induced cognitive impairment in mice.
- To determine if aligning feeding times with the active phase can mitigate anesthesia-related cognitive deficits.
Main Methods:
- Mice were assigned to restricted feeding schedules: ad libitum (Control), daytime feeding (misaligned), or nighttime feeding (aligned).
- Groups were subjected to isoflurane anesthesia, and daily rhythms were monitored using Mini-Mitter.
- Cognitive function was assessed using fear conditioning tests (hippocampus-dependent contextual and amygdala-dependent cued memory).
Main Results:
- Night-feeding mice gradually adapted their rhythms, while day-feeding mice showed disturbed rhythms.
- Anesthesia in night-feeding mice partially enhanced daily rhythms, whereas day-feeding mice exhibited sustained rhythm disturbances.
- Night-feeding mice showed reduced deficits in hippocampus-dependent memory post-anesthesia, while day-feeding mice had prolonged deficits.
Conclusions:
- Misaligned feeding disrupts circadian rhythms and leads to persistent post-anesthesia cognitive dysfunction.
- Aligned feeding partially improves circadian rhythms and mitigates anesthesia-induced cognitive impairments.
- The timing of food intake significantly influences the recovery of cognitive function after anesthesia.
