General anaesthetic

These drugs are not to be confused with sleep medicine for insomnia.

General anaesthetics (or anesthetics) are often defined as compounds that induce a loss of consciousness in humans or loss of righting reflex in animals. Clinical definitions are also extended to include an induced coma that causes lack of awareness to painful stimuli, sufficient to facilitate surgical applications in clinical and veterinary practice. General anaesthetics do not act as analgesics and should also not be confused with sedatives. General anaesthetics are a structurally diverse group of compounds whose mechanisms encompass multiple biological targets involved in the control of neuronal pathways. The precise workings are the subject of some debate and ongoing research.[1]

General anesthetics elicit a state of general anesthesia. It remains somewhat controversial regarding how this state should be defined.[2] General anesthetics, however, typically elicit several key reversible effects: immobility, analgesia, amnesia, unconsciousness, and reduced autonomic responsiveness to noxious stimuli.[2][3][4]

  1. ^ Franks, Nicholas P. (May 2008). "General anaesthesia: from molecular targets to neuronal pathways of sleep and arousal". Nature Reviews Neuroscience. 9 (5): 370–386. doi:10.1038/nrn2372. ISSN 1471-0048. PMID 18425091. S2CID 14020693.
  2. ^ a b Brown, Emery N.; Purdon, Patrick L.; Van Dort, Christa J. (2011-06-21). "General Anesthesia and Altered States of Arousal: A Systems Neuroscience Analysis". Annual Review of Neuroscience. 34 (1): 601–628. doi:10.1146/annurev-neuro-060909-153200. hdl:1721.1/86331. ISSN 0147-006X. PMC 3390788. PMID 21513454.
  3. ^ Goodman & Gilman's pharmacological basis of therapeutics. Goodman, Louis S. (Louis Sanford), 1906-2000., Brunton, Laurence L., Chabner, Bruce., Knollmann, Björn C. (12th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. 2011. ISBN 9780071624428. OCLC 498979404.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  4. ^ Katzung, Bertram G.; Trevor, Anthony J. (2014-12-23). Basic and clinical pharmacology. Katzung, Bertram G., Trevor, Anthony J. (Thirteenth ed.). New York. ISBN 9780071825054. OCLC 875520239.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)