University of Tasmania, Australia

Balanced anaesthesisa is an essential part of modern surgical procedures, producing a loss of consciousness (sleep), analgesia (pain relief) and muscle relaxation. Importantly, the effects of anaesthesia on consciousness are reversible; however, how anaesthetic agents result in their anaesthetic action is still largely unknown and it is difficult to ascertain the longer lasting effects on a cellular scale. Of significant concern, links have been drawn between surgical procedures in the elderly population and the development of dementia. This project is focused on the potential neurotoxicity of both injectable and inhalable anaesthetic agents in cell culture and animal models of AD including the APP/PS1 mouse and determining whether anaesthetic exposure increases the onset or progression of AD-like pathology. This project will be complemented by a long term-prospective study on the use of anaesthesia in elderly patients in collaboration with the Royal Hobart Hospital.