Memory Priming in General Anesthesia

NCT03727464 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: AR-INNCB-PRIMING-2012
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 102
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Memory priming under general anesthesia is a phenomenon of incredible interest in the study of consciousness and unconscious cognitive processing, and for clinical practice. However results from anesthesiological literature are divergent and methodologies vary. To overcome these limits, the present study aims at better defining the phenomenon of memory priming under general anesthesia, manipulating as experimental variables both the anesthetic drug used and the stimuli primed.

Conditions

Unconscious (Psychology)

Keywords

Memory priming; Anesthesia; Language processing; Abstract and Concrete words; Neural correlates

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Implicit score

  Implicit memory is tested through a word stem completion test, in which the participant has to complete a three-letter stem with the first word that comes to mind. The completion test comprises both target stems (stems of word primed intra-operatively) and foils. The number of correct completions of target stems and foils is recorded as target and non target hits. The implicit score is then calculated as (target hits - nontarget hits)/total target stimuli. The score can therefore range (absolute values) from -1 to +1, where a positive score indicates memory priming.

  24 hours

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• Explicit recall of intraoperative words

  before discharge from the Recovery Room and at 24 hours

• Explicit recall of intraoperative events

  before discharge from the Recovery Room and at 24 hours

• Target hits

  24 hours

• Nontarget hits

  24 hours

Study Arms (6)

Propofol Abstract Priming

EXPERIMENTAL

Patients undergoing propofol general anesthesia and stimulation with a list of abstract words

Behavioral: Abstract priming; Drug: Propofol

Propofol Concrete Priming

EXPERIMENTAL

Patients undergoing propofol general anesthesia and stimulation with a list of concrete words

Behavioral: Concrete priming; Drug: Propofol

Propofol Controls

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Patients undergoing propofol anesthesia without any intraoperative priming

Behavioral: Controls; Drug: Propofol

Sevoflurane Abstract Priming

EXPERIMENTAL

Patients undergoing sevoflurane general anesthesia and stimulation with a list of abstract words

Behavioral: Abstract priming; Drug: Sevoflurane

Sevoflurane Concrete Priming

EXPERIMENTAL

Patients undergoing sevoflurane general anesthesia and stimulation with a list of concrete words

Behavioral: Concrete priming; Drug: Sevoflurane

Sevoflurane Controls

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Patients undergoing sevoflurane general anesthesia without any intraoperative priming

Behavioral: Controls; Drug: Sevoflurane

Interventions

Abstract priming BEHAVIORAL

Patients were primed with a list of abstract during their general anesthesia

Propofol Abstract Priming; Sevoflurane Abstract Priming

Concrete priming BEHAVIORAL

Patients were primed with a list of concrete during their general anesthesia

Propofol Concrete Priming; Sevoflurane Concrete Priming

Controls BEHAVIORAL

Patients did not receive any specific stimulation with words during their general anesthesia

Propofol Controls; Sevoflurane Controls

Propofol DRUG

Propofol general anesthesia

Propofol Abstract Priming; Propofol Concrete Priming; Propofol Controls

Sevoflurane DRUG

Sevoflurane general anesthesia

Sevoflurane Abstract Priming; Sevoflurane Concrete Priming; Sevoflurane Controls

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 65 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• patient undergoing general anesthesia for back surgery
• American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA) physical status classification I or II
• Italian native speaker
• right handed (assessed with the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory)
• not to suffer from memory deficits, hearing impairment or any other medical/psychiatric condition that could affect the memory performance or hearing

You may not qualify if:

• to develop a postoperative cognitive dysfunction or delirium or any other medical complication that could prevent the memory testing or that could affect memory performance

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Fondazione I.R.C.C.S. Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta: lead
• University of Milano Bicocca: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta

Milan, 20133, Italy

Location

Related Publications (1)

• Orena EF, Landucci F, Ayadi R, Caldiroli D, Papagno C. Propofol and sevoflurane affect intra-operative memory formation of words differently: A prospective cohort study. Eur J Anaesthesiol. 2021 Mar 1;38(Suppl 1):S50-S57. doi: 10.1097/EJA.0000000000001417.

  PMID: 33399379 DERIVED

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Unconsciousness

Interventions

Propofol; Sevoflurane

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Consciousness Disorders; Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Neurologic Manifestations; Nervous System Diseases; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Phenols; Benzene Derivatives; Hydrocarbons, Aromatic; Hydrocarbons, Cyclic; Hydrocarbons; Organic Chemicals; Methyl Ethers; Ethers; Hydrocarbons, Fluorinated; Hydrocarbons, Halogenated

Study Officials

• Eleonora F Orena, PhD

  Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: PhD

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: October 30, 2018
• First Posted: November 1, 2018
• Study Start: January 7, 2013
• Primary Completion: September 15, 2016
• Study Completion: September 15, 2016
• Last Updated: September 6, 2019

Record last verified: 2019-09

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

IT (1)