Fig. 6.
In vivo overexpression of the inward-rectifier potassium channel Kir2.1 protects from propofol anesthesia–induced dendritic spine loss and transforms propofol able to induce large-head spines at postnatal day (PND) 10. Representative confocal images showing the effect of propofol anesthesia on dendritic spines in nontransfected control (A) and neighboring Kir2.1 or enhanced green fluorescent protein–transfected (B) layer 2/3 pyramidal cells filled post hoc with Lucifer Yellow. (C) Quantitative analysis of dendritic spine densities. (D) Frequency distribution histogram of spine head diameters. n = 4 animals per group. A total of 2,683 spines in the control and 2,452 spines in the propofol groups were counted to determine spine densities. Results are expressed as mean ± SD. Scale bar: 6 μm. Two-tailed Student’s t tests were performed for each comparison group in C, while two-way ANOVA followed by Bonferroni post hoc testing was conducted in D. *P < 0.05. **P < 0.01. ***P < 0.001. ns = not significant.