Effect of propofol on local field potential in rat prefrontal cortex during working memory task

Abstract

Propofol may produce memory impairment during anesthesia procedure. Local field potentials (LFPs) are used with increasing frequency in recent years to link neural activity to perception and cognition. In this study, effect of propofol on LFPs in rat's prefrontal cortex during working memory task was evaluated. Young (approximately 3 months) male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into two group: propofol rats and control rats. Propofol rats received propofol at 0.9 mg·kg −1 ·min −1 intravenously for 2 h. After 12 h, LFPs of all rats were measured simultaneously from multiple electrodes placed in prefrontal cortex while rats were performing a working memory task in Ymaze. LFPs instantaneous phase were obtained by applying Hilbert transform, and cross-correlation coherence of LFPs was calculated. The results indicate that propofol decreased the correct rate and crosscorrelation coherence of LFPs on the first two days (p < 0.05), but had no effect on the third day (p > 0.05). Our results suggest that propofol can impair crosscorrelation coherence of LFPs in the first two days, but not long time.