Dr. Karl Herold

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and Birkbeck, University of London, have identified where a commonly used anesthetic binds to sodium ion channels, revealing a molecular mechanism that may explain how these drugs dampen communication between neurons. 

The modern concept of general anesthesia dates back to the 1840s, when doctors and dentists began giving patients ether before operations.

Anesthesia induces unconsciousness by changing the function of proteins that reside on the surface of a thin...