Ketamine as anesthetics can damage children's learning and memory ability

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-07/nrr-kaa071813.php

Public release date: 18-Jul-2013
Contact: Meng Zhao
Neural Regeneration Research

Recent studies have found that anesthesia drugs have neurotoxicity on the developing neurons, causing learning and memory disorders and behavioral abnormalities. Ketamine is commonly used in pediatric anesthesia. A clinical retrospective study found that children below 3 years old who receive a long time surgery, or because of surgery require ketamine repeatedly will exhibit the performance of school-age learning and memory disorders and behavioral abnormalities. Research group speculates that these abnormalities may be related to the potential neurotoxicity of ketamine.

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