Anesthesia suppresses gastric myoelectric power in the ferret

Gastrointestinal myoelectric signals have been the focus of extensive research; although it is unclear how general anesthesia affects these signals, studies have often been conducted under general anesthesia. Here, we explore this issue directly by recording gastric myoelectric signals during awake and anesthetized states in the ferret and also explore the contribution of behavioral movement to observed changes in signal power.

Ferrets were surgically implanted with electrodes to record gastric myoelectric activity from the serosal surface of the stomach, and, following recovery, were tested in awake and isoflurane-anesthetized conditions. Video recordings were also analyzed during awake experiments to compare myoelectric activity during behavioral movement and rest.

A significant decrease in gastric myoelectric signal power was detected under isoflurane anesthesia compared to the awake condition. Moreover, a detailed analysis of the awake recordings indicates that behavioral movement is associated with increased signal power compared to rest.

These results suggest that both general anesthesia and behavioral movement can affect the amplitude of gastric myoelectric. In summary, caution should be taken in studying myoelectric data collected under anesthesia. Further, behavioral movement could have an important modulatory role on these signals, affecting their interpretation in clinical settings.