‘Xenon’ in Anesthesia can Treat Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Study
Xenon, the gas in anesthesia can be used to treat patients with chronic stress, anxiety and other mental conditions, finds a study.
Recently, experts at the McLean Hospital Translational Imaging Laboratory investigated the effects of giving xenon gas in small amounts. Their study involving laboratory rats was conducted to assess if the gas affects a process called 'reconsolidation' where memories are altered and re-stimulated. The rodents were exposed to environmental cues and given mild shocks on their feet to induce fear and conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The researchers noted responses of rats to measure their level of fear and stress and gave Xenon in small quantities.
They found xenon was effective in reducing memories of unpleasant events that triggers fear, anxiety, stress and negative emotions.
"We found that a single exposure to the gas, which is known to block NMDA receptors involved in memory formation in the brain, dramatically and persistently reduced fear responses for up to 2 weeks. It was as though the animals no longer remembered to be afraid of those cues," said Edward G Meloni, study author and assistant psychologist at McLean Hospital, reports the Business Standard.
"It's an exciting breakthrough, as this has the potential to be a new treatment for individuals suffering from PTSD," said Meloni.
"We know from previous research that each time an emotional memory is recalled, the brain actually restores it as if it were a new memory. With this knowledge, we decided to see whether we could alter the process by introducing xenon gas immediately after a fear memory was reactivated," Meloni adds.
The authors believe this method is far more reliable than current medications and block NMDA receptors related to memory. Also xenon reacts faster on the brain by suppressing memories of bad incidents and can be employed as treatment for PTSD in humans.
More information is available online in the journal PLoS ONE.
