How different anesthesia drugs and sleep affect brain cells during slow waves
Official title: The Roles of Genetically Distinct Cortical Neuron Types in General-Anesthesia- and Sleep-Induced Slow Waves
Funded at Brigham Young University · NIH-11336933 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project tests how various anesthesia drugs and natural sleep cause slow brain waves and whether they involve the same brain circuits in people like you.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Brigham Young University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Provo, United States) |
| Project start | April 11, 2022 |
| Project end | May 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $248,997 |
| NIH project number | 5R00GM141450-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11336933 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Not applicable to patients directly in this grant; this is animal-model research.
✕Less likely to help
No direct patient benefit in this animal study.
What this research studies
Researchers will study how different anesthesia drugs (propofol, ketamine, dexmedetomidine) and NREM sleep create slow waves in the cortex by recording calcium signals from specific brain cell types in rodents. They will teach advanced imaging techniques to map neural activity in CaMKIIa+, PV+, SST+, and VIP+ neurons during anesthesia- and sleep-related slow waves. The goal is to see if different drugs activate distinct circuits or if sleep and anesthesia share common pathways, which could improve our understanding of consciousness and safety in anesthesia. This work will build foundational knowledge that may influence how future anesthesia is used and how sleep-related brain activity is interpreted.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Better understanding of how anesthesia and sleep affect brain circuits could lead to safer anesthesia practices and insights into consciousness.
How similar studies have gone: Earlier data hint at distinct slow-wave mechanisms for different anesthetics, suggesting a potentially novel approach worth exploring.
Where this research is happening
-
Brigham Young University
Provo, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Melonakos, Eric David — Brigham Young University
- Study coordinator: Melonakos, Eric David
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.