Low-Dose anesthesia may change how pain impacts memory

NCT ID NCT06044740

Completed Knowledge-focused Sponsor: Keith M Vogt Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study looked at how a low dose of the anesthetic sevoflurane affects memory and brain responses to pain. Forty-two healthy adults inhaled sevoflurane or no drug while receiving mild electric shocks and performing memory tasks. Brain scans (fMRI) measured activity changes. The goal was to understand how anesthesia and pain together influence memory formation.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: Sevoflurane (an inhaled anesthetic gas)
What this could lead to: If successful, this could help researchers understand how anesthesia and pain interact to affect memory, potentially improving pain management during procedures.
What could go wrong: This is a very early, small study in healthy volunteers, not patients. It uses low drug doses and artificial pain, so findings may not apply to real-world surgery or chronic pain.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Amnesia Pain

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

AMNESIA ANESTHESIA PAIN

Contacts and locations

Locations

University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15213, United States

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