Basic and Systemic Mechanisms of Anesthesia: Invited Papers of the 7th International Conference on Basic and Systematic Mechanisms of Anesthesia, Nara, Japan, 25-27 February 2005(v. 1283 International Congress S.)

This book is constituted of the presentations (symposium, workshop and posters) given at the Seventh International Conference on Molecular and Basic Mechanisms of Anesthesia, held in Nara, Japan during February 2005. During this international event leading researchers presented the latest findings on the mechanisms underlying states of anesthesia. Topics covered included the latest developments in the physico-chemical actions of anesthetics on the membrane, to the molecular identifications such as their receptor-mediated actions. Furthermore, new research was presented on developments in the molecular identification of general anesthetic targets at the receptor level and the functional roles of their molecular targets, revealed by their integration of the in vivo system using genetic engineering techniques. An essential text for all researchers wanting a concise and authoritative overview of current research in the field of mechanisms of anesthesia, this book is a timely update for everyone involved in anesthetic drug development.

Table of Contents:
Foreword. Reviewers. Acknowledgement. Symposium. Molecular mechanisms of general anesthetic action. GABAA receptor interactions with propofol: binding site location and conformational changes (M.H. Akabas, M. Bali). The four helix bundle: an attractive fold (R.G. Eckenhoff et al.). Anesthetic sensitivity is reduced in hippocampal pyramidal neurons from GABAA receptor a5 subunit null mutant mice (B.A. Orser et al.). Kinetics of metoclopramide effects on human 5-HT3A receptors (J. Walkembach et al.). Identification of general anesthetic targets. Anesthetic sites on GABAA receptors (G.-D. Li, C.-S.S. Chang, R.W. Olsen). General anesthetic action on 5-HT3 receptors: influence of subunit composition (K. Solt et al.). Two-pore K channels: Still viable sites of action? (C. Spencer Yost). A multifunctional protein, Calreticulin, in pathway(s) of volatile anesthetics in Drosophila (S. Gamo). An ion channel that influences anesthesia sensitivity: designing a genetic test for assessing a candidate anesthetic target (D.P. Alone, R.L. Scott, H.A. Nash). Integration of anesthetic targets into systems. The spinal cord, anesthesia and immobility: A re-examination (J.F. Antognini, S.L. Jinks, E.E. Carstens). Possible role of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor GluRe1 subunit in ketamine hypnosis and analgesia (T. Yamakura et al.). b3-containing GABAA receptors mediate the immobilizing and, in part, the hypnotic actions of etomidate and propofol (R. Jurd et al.). Workshop. Theoretical models for anesthetic modification of gating in LGICs. Structural changes in a four-alpha-helix bundle protein following sevoflurane binding (R. Pidikiti et al.). Spinal mechanisms of anesthetic action. Differentiation of spinal and cerebral effects of anesthetics in humans using clinical electrophysiology techniques (B. Rehberg et al.). Potassium and related channels. Action and mechanism of ethanol on Ca2+-activated potassium channels (T. Namba, T.M.Ishii, K. Fukud). Tonic inhibition. The a5 GABAA receptor subunit confers resistance to isoflurane inhibition (B.A. Orser et al.). Will neural networks provide the answer to anesthetic mechanisms of action? Effects of general anesthetics on excitatory and inhibitory synaptic pathways of hippocampus in vitro (K. Hirota et al.). Physiochemical aspects of anesthesia. Effect of volatile anesthetics on the structure of photosynthetic antenna complex in lipid bilayers (N. Nishimura et al.). Thermodynamic aspects of anesthetic action. Antagonism of general anesthetics (I. Ueda, T. Tatara, H. Kamaya). Monitoring the depth of anesthesia. Clnical monitoring for depth of anesthesia: bispectral index (BIS) (Y. Morimoto, T. Hirata, T. Sakabe). Ligand-Gated receptors/channels and general anesthetics. General anesthetic modulation of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (M. Yamashita et al.). Poster session. Genetic engineering. Distinct molecular targets for the central respiratory and cardiac actions of the general anesthetics etomidate and propofol (A. Zeller et al.). Drosophila A-kinase anchor protein 200, protein kinase A and diethylether anesthesia (A. Tamai, Y. Tanaka, S. Gamo). Ligand-gated ion channels and anesthesia. Inhibitory effects of pentobarbital on glutamate-induced calcium increase in presynaptic nerve terminals (S. Kitahara et al.). Effects of general anesthetics on P2X7 receptors in rat microglia (M. Nakanishi et al.). Ion channels and anesthesia. Ionic mechanisms of thiopental on prolongation of action potential duration in rat ventricular myocytes (Wk. Par et al.). The modulation of GIRK channels by halothane is essentially determined by its C terminus (L.G. Weigel et al.). Interpreting the impact of GABAA receptor structural modifications using an allosteric co-agonist mechanism for etomidate actions (S.A. Forman, D. Rusch). The effect of sevoflurane on mitochondrial function in brain synaptosomes (R. Bains et al.). Actions of anesthetics on networks. Comparison of antagonizing potencies of dodecane analogues to isoflurane in goldfish (R. Hanada et al.). The effect of propofol, midazolam and remifentanil on the paired-pulse-depression of the human H-reflex (F.K. Herold et al.). Differential actions of volatile and intravenous anesthetics on recurrent inhibitory interneurons in rat hippocampal slices (T. Asah et al.). Physiochemical aspects of anesthesia. Adsorption mechanism of Volatile anesthetic molecules on a phospholipid monolayer (Y. Yamamoto et al.). Propofol acts on different sites than ethanol and butanol in recombinant glycine receptors: evidence from pressure studies (D.L. Davies et al.). Validation of hypothesis of pressure reversal mechanisms: "Anesthetic binds to site, and squeezed out by pressure" (H. Isogai, T. Seto, S. Nosak). Effects of inhalation anesthetics on the viscosity of aqueous bovine serum albumin solutions (U. Komatsu et al.). Recognition for long-chain saturated fatty acids by dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine bilayer membranes (H. Matsuk et al.). Partition coefficients of local anesthetic into phospholipid-cholesterol mixed bilayer membranes (K. Matsuoka et al.). Distribution of charged and uncharged local anesthetics into phospholipid bilayer membrane - correlation between partition coefficients and anesthetic potency (N. Yamasaki et al.). Author Index. Keyword Index.