Inert Gas Narcosis: An Introduction

Recent neurochemical basis of inert gas narcosis and pressure effects.

Compressed air or a nitrogen-oxygen mixture produces from 0.3 MPa nitrogen narcosis. The traditional view was that anaesthesia or narcosis occurs when the volume of a hydrophobic site is caused to expand beyond a critical amount by the absorption of molecules of a narcotic gas. The observation of the pressure reversal effect on general anaesthesia has for a long time supported the lipid theory....

A review of recent neurochemical data on inert gas narcosis.

Nitrogen narcosis occurs in humans at around 0.4 MPa (4 ATA). Hydrogen narcosis occurs between 2.6 and 3.0 MPa. In rats, nitrogen disturbances occur from 1 MPa and a loss of righting reflex around 4 MPa. Neurochemical studies in striatum of rats with nitrogen at 3 MPa (75% of anesthesia threshold) with differential pulse voltammetry have demonstrated a decrease in dopamine (DA) release by neuro...

Narcosis and Emulsion Reversal by Inert Gases

Investigations of the effect of high pressures of Na (100 to 130 atmospheres) and of Ar (60 to 80 atmospheres) showed that these gases are effective in reversing the phases of an oil in water emulsion. Nitrous oxide did not cause reversal at pressures as high as 53 atmospheres nor did helium as high as 107 atmospheres. We found CO(2) most effective in reversing the emulsions and attributed this...

Intraocular pressure during 4-hydroxybutyrate narcosis.

NUCLEATION OF Sb-MICROCRYSTALS IN AN INERT-GAS ATMOSPHERE

The generation of antimony clusters in the size range from Sb to SbSoo is reported. The clusters are created by inert gas condensation and detected by a time-ofiflight mass spectrometer. Condensation of clusters of knvwn sizes onto a cold substrate is suggested as a technique which enables investigations of amorphous substances as a function of order. To reveal the topology of amorphoussolids a...