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Science 6 September 1974:
Vol. 185. no. 4154, pp. 867 - 869
DOI: 10.1126/science.185.4154.867
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Articles

Inert Gas Narcosis, the High Pressure Neurological Syndrome, and the Critical Volume Hypothesis

Keith W. Miller 1

1 Harvard Medical School, Departments of Pharmacology and Anesthesia, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston 02114

The hypothesis that general anesthesia or pressure-induced convulsions occur when a hydrophobic region is expanded or compressed, respectively, by critical amounts is consistent with recent data obtained with mice. Calculations show that anesthesia occurs at an expansion of 1.1 percent and convulsions at a compression of 0.85 percent, the latter site of action being more compressible.


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J Appl Physiol 106, 996-1003
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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)