Effect of Anesthesia in Stroke Models

Many investigators have examined or are examining the effects of focal and global cerebral ischemia on brain physiology, chemistry, and molecular aspects and function. Many animal and cellular models are utilized for these types of studies. However, anesthetics must be used for the in vivo studies, or at least in most animal models of cerebral ischemia. In many of these studies, there has been an intensive search for agents that are neuroprotective for cerebral ischemia. The use of anesthetics may complicate the issues relating to neuroprotection because many anesthetics themselves possess neuroprotective characteristics. This chapter addresses the more commonly used anesthetics for the study of cerebral ischemia. At the conclusion of the chapter, the issues related to why anesthetics have not been successfully used in humans as neuroprotective agents are discussed.