ORSER, Beverley - Department of Anesthesia and Physiology, University of Toronto
Beverley Orser first identified how general anesthetics cause memory deficits in adults that persist long after the drugs are eliminated from the body. Her landmark papers demonstrated the cause: increased activity of extrasynaptic inhibitory neural receptors. These receptors are targets for anesthetics and other neurodepressive drugs, and, when activated, can impair memory. Her studies have fundamentally advanced our understanding of the neurobiology underlying general anesthesia and have improved patient care.