Early Exposure to Anesthesia and Learning Disabilities in a Population-based Birth Cohort

EXPOSURE to alcohol and some anesthetic and sedative drugs cause histopathologic changes in the developing brains of animals.1–3Implicated drugs include N -methyl-d-aspartate glutamate receptor antagonists (e.g. , ketamine, nitrous oxide) and agents with γ-aminobutyric acid A mimetic properties (e.g. , pentobarbital, diazepam, isoflurane, halothane, propofol). Some studies suggest that even relatively brief single exposures trigger changes, especially when combinations of agents are used.1–6In one report, histologic neurodegeneration was associated with a diminished capacity to retain learned behaviors.7It is not known whether findings in rodent models can be extrapolated to humans, but emerging histologic…