Analysis of molecular and cellular actions of general anesthetics on inhibitory synaptic transmission using genetically altered animals.

转基因小鼠对分析全身麻醉药和镇痛剂的分子和细胞作用机制非常有用。利用GFP基因敲除小鼠，我们研究了七氟醚对发育中的大脑的影响，重点是GABA能神经元。此外，我们还研究了囊泡型GABA转运体(VGAT)下调对小鼠痛阈值和行为反应的可能影响。我们的结果提供了遗传学、行为学和电生理学证据，证明脊髓中VGAT介导的抑制驱动的减少改变了非常特殊的感觉处理形式：与疼痛处理相关的形式。

Genetically altered mice are very useful to analyze the molecular and cellular mechanisms of actions of general anesthetics and analgesics. Using GFP knock-in mice, we examined the effects of sevoflurane exposure to the developing brain, focusing on GABAergic neurons. In addition, we also investigated the possible influence of downregulation of vesicular GABA transporter(VGAT) on pain threshold and behavioral responses in mice. Our results provide genetic, behavioral and electrophysiological evidence that reduction of VGAT-mediated inhibitory drive in the spinal cord alters very specific forms of sensory processing : those related to pain processing.