Alpha-chloralose suppression of neuronal activity

Alpha-chloralose, an anesthetic agent widely used in neurophysiologic studies, caused a significant and long-lasting suppression of single neuron activity recorded from two areas of the central nervous system in decerebrate cats. A 50 mg/kg dose (an average anesthetic dose used in many neurophysiologic studies) caused suppression of spontaneous and evoked activity of neurons in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord and greater suppression of neurons in the nucleus reticularis gigantocellularis (NRGC) of the medial medullary reticular formation. Many researchers are of the opinion that alpha-chloralose causes less suppression of the central nervous system (CNS) than other commonly used anesthetic agents. The neuronal suppression recorded in this study appears similar in many ways to suppression caused by other anesthetic agents in the same two areas of the CNS. The results of the present study suggest that alpha-chloralose may be capable of producing significant suppression of neurons in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord and NRGC. Its ability to influence other areas of the CNS should not be inferred from these results, but the data do indicate the importance of evaluating the effects of anesthetics upon neurophysiologic systems under study.