Ciliopathy interacts with neonatal anesthesia to cause non-apoptotic caspase-mediated motor deficits.
bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology – November 27, 2024
Source: PubMed
Summary
Early exposure to anesthesia in newborns with genetic ciliary defects can impact motor development through unexpected cellular mechanisms. Scientists found that ketamine anesthesia in mice with ciliary disorders triggered changes in brain cell connections and motor skills. Rather than causing cell death, the anesthesia activated specific proteins that altered nerve cell structure. Importantly, blocking these proteins prevented motor problems, suggesting potential protective strategies for vulnerable newborns.
Abstract
Increasing evidence suggests that anesthesia may induce developmental neurotoxicity, yet the influence of genetic predispositions associated with congenital anomalies on this toxicity remains largely unknown. Children with congenital heart disease often exhibit mutations in cilia-related genes and ciliary dysfunction, requiring sedation for their catheter or surgical interventions during the neonatal period. Here we demonstrate that briefly exposing ciliopathic neonatal mice to ketamine causes motor skill impairments, which are associated with a baseline deficit in neocortical layer V neuron apical spine density and their altered dynamics during motor learning.. These neuromorphological changes were linked to augmented non-apoptotic neuronal caspase activation. Neonatal caspase suppression rescued the spine density and motor deficits, confirming the requirement for sublethal caspase signaling in appropriate spine formation and motor learning. Our findings suggest that ciliopathy interacts with ketamine to induce motor impairments, which is reversible through caspase inhibition. Furthermore, they underscore the potential for ketamine- induced sublethal caspase responses in shaping neurodevelopmental outcomes.