Anesthesia may affect the spread of tau protein in the brain and promote Alzheimer's disease

During the development and development of Alzheimer's disease, a protein called tau accumulates and diffuses in the brain

Scientists pointed out that inflammation plays an important role in Alzheimer's disease, and microglia (immune cells in the brain) are thought to be involved in this process because it produces a type of interleukin-6.

In the current research, the team has developed a new method to measure tau levels, called nanobeam sensor technology

The team conducted experiments on mice and cells and found that sevoflurane causes tau to leave neurons and enter microglia, which stimulates the cells to produce interleukin-6, which in turn leads to inflammation and cognitive impairment

"These data indicate the spread of anesthesia-related tau protein and its consequences," said Zhongcong Xie, senior author, MD, and director of the DACCPM Geriatric Anesthesia Research Unit

Sevoflurane did not increase the release of lactate dehydrogenase in neurons, which is a molecule similar in size and weight to tau protein

Another inhalation anesthetic called desflurane does not have the same effect as sevoflurane

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