"
A membrane-mediated mechanism for general anaesthesia?"
Dr. Lorna M. Stimson
Lab. of Computational Engineering
Helsinki University of Technology
Abstract
A general anaesthetic is a substance which is able to induce a reversible loss of consciousness associated
with a lack of response to painful stimuli. A great range of molecules have been found to be active as general
anaesthetics. This range includes molecular species from simple mono-atomic xenon gas to much larger and
more complex structures. Many hypotheses have been suggested to explain the effect of such anaesthetic gases
on the body. In this work, we aim to investigate the hypothesis that anaesthetics cause disruptions in the cellular
membrane which are responsible for the anaesthetic effect.
In this talk, I will first present some background to cellular membranes and an outline of the considerations
associated with modelling these systems. I will then describe some investigations that have been conducted using
molecular dynamics methodologies that aim to shed light on the process of general anaesthesia and the effect of
anesthetic species on the membrane environment.
