Beverley Orser

Research Synopsis

The main focus of the Orser Lab is to understand the molecular mechanism of general anesthesia, repurpose general anesthetics for novel treatment of neurological disorders, and to the study the role of GABAA receptor in health and disease.  Their studies also offer insights into the neuronal substrates that underlie pain, memory and consciousness.

They are the first to demonstrate the exquisite sensitivity of a population of extrasynaptic GABAA  receptors to volatile and inhaled anesthetics. Behavioural studies using preclinical models have shown that the actions of anesthetics at extrasynaptic GABAA receptors in the hippocampus contribute to the amnestic properties of the drugs. The findings challenged the prevailing dogma that anesthetics act by increasing inhibitory synaptic transmission. These results have stimulated new areas of anesthetic research in laboratories around the world. In addition, the laboratory was the first to demonstrate the ability of anesthetics to reduce desensitization of these inhibitory receptors. This unique action of anesthetics may contribute to the profound neurodepressive properties of these drugs.