全身麻醉药的作用机制是重要的基本科学问题。吸入麻醉药是广泛使用的全身麻醉药，可以产生顺行性遗忘（抑制学习记忆功能）、镇静催眠、制动等作用。近年来，全身麻醉药对认知功能（学习记忆功能）的影响成为麻醉领域的研究热点。本课题在前期研究的基础上，提出科学假说：超极化激活的阳离子通道（HCN）介导了吸入麻醉药的顺行性遗忘作用。结合基因敲除小鼠的行为学模型、脑片膜片钳记录以及细胞离子通道转染膜片钳记录等技术手段，全面证实HCN离子通道在吸入麻醉药遗忘作用中的机制。通过本课题的研究，可以为减少吸入麻醉术中知晓的发生、改善吸入麻醉后学习记忆功能的恢复提供理论依据，也可以推动对全麻机制的进一步研究。同时，也能为开发出具有作用成分选择性的新型全身麻醉药提供科学指导和理论支持。

Mechanism of general anesthesia is an important and fundamental scientific concern. Among various general anesthetics, inhaled anesthetics such as isoflurane and sevoflurane are commonly used in clinic setting. Inhaled anesthetics produce anterograde amnesia, sedation, hypnosis, analgesia and immobility. Recently, effects of inhaled anesthetics on learning and memory as well as cognitive functions are increasingly concerned by public and researchers. Based on our previous studies and experiments, we raised the hypothesis that HCN channels contribute to amnesic effect of inhaled anesthetics. This effect indicates anterograde amnesic effect of inhaled anesthetics, suppressing learning and memory at sub-hypnosis concentration. In the present application, whole animal behavioral assessment, brain slices recording with patch clamp technique as well as cell transfection were designed to evaluate the hypothesis. By the present study, a novel molecular target will be raised for mechanism of general anesthesia. In addition, for clinic setting, improved general anesthesia could be carried out by understanding amnesic mechanism of inhaled anesthetics: avoiding intraoperative awareness and improving learning and memory after general anesthesia.