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A Test of Neural Inertia in Humans With Xenon

A Test of Neural Inertia in Humans With Xenon

Status
Completed
Phases
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT02768727
Enrollment
29
Registered
2016-05-11
Start date
2016-04-01
Completion date
2021-12-01
Last updated
2026-08-31

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Neurocognitive Dysfunction

Keywords

neurocognitive function, neural inertia, xenon gas

Brief summary

The dual objectives of this study are to determine if the phenomenon of neural inertia is present in humans and to determine whether the order of neurocognitive function is invariant among anesthetic agents. This study will enroll 24 healthy volunteers, ages 20-40 years, who will receive xenon gas (concentrations ranging from 0% to 60%) delivered via inhaled route through the ENHANCER 3000.

Detailed description

This is a multimodal, nonrandomized study of healthy subjects. After meeting enrollment criteria, subjects will receive a baseline neurocognitive testing on a computer for 15 minutes and will then receive a wrist watch actigraphy device to record their rest/activity patterns over 8-14 days. On the study day (roughly two weeks later), repeat baseline neurocognitive testing will be performed after subjects are fitted with a high density EEG head cap. The actual intervention (delivery of inhaled xenon gas in stepwise increasing followed by decreasing doses) should occur over 2 hours along with verbal tests to assess the presence/absence of consciousness at each xenon concentration. Xenon doses have been chosen specifically to evaluate the point at which individuals lose and then regain consciousness. Doses are escalated up through those used in human anesthesiology (75%) that permit surgery. After exposure, serial neurocognitive testing will occur every 30 minutes for 3 hours post emergence. Subjects are discharged from the study's intervention day to home only upon reaching standard post-anesthesia care unit criteria (modified Aldrete score ≥9). A post-procedure follow up phone call will occur within 24 hours of anesthetic exposure to ensure that the subject remains well. The individual's involvement is completed upon returning the Actigraphy watch 1 week after the exposure day. The expected duration of subject participation is up to 3 weeks.

Interventions

DRUGXenon

drug given in concentrations of 0% to 60% over period of 2 hours

Sponsors

University of Pennsylvania
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
20 Years to 40 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Healthy volunteers ages 20-40 years old * American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Physical Status I or II (i.e. healthy) * Body Mass Index \<30 kg/m2 * Easily visible uvula

Exclusion criteria

* Any physical signs that would suggest a difficult airway (e.g. mouth opening \<3cm, short distance between the chin and neck, poor mandibular subluxation, thick neck) * History of reactive airway disease * Current or history of neuropsychiatric disorders * History or current use of psychotropic medications, * History or current obstructive sleep apnea * Current or history of cardiovascular disease or arrhythmias, * Current or history of chronic sleep disorders * History of postoperative nausea/vomiting * Family history of problems with anesthesia (including but not limited to malignant hyperthermia), * Current or history of Motion sickness * Current tobacco use * Current pregnancy or currently breastfeeding * Positive urine toxicology screen * History of seizure disorder, head injury, or brain tumor * Alcohol consumption greater than 12 drinks per week or more than 4 drinks on any single day * Inability to provide informed consent * Inability to achieve mask seal on intervention day

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Xenon Concentrations at Which Consciousness is Lost and Regained4 hoursTo determine in healthy human volunteers if the brain concentrations of xenon (as determined by CT imaging) are identical at the point of loss and return of consciousness. If the values are significantly different, then we conclude that there is evidence for hysteresis in circuits regulating arousal.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Neurocognitive Recovery Upon Emergence From Xenon as Measured by Neurocognitive Battery Testing4 hoursTo determine if the order of neurocognitive recovery upon emergence from xenon general anesthesia is sequential or simultaneous and if the former is true to determine if the pattern is identical to that of isoflurane (as measured in a previously completed study (PMID: 33970101).
Effects of Xenon on Gross Rest / Activity as Measured Using Wristwatch Actigraphy1 week prior to xenon exposure and 1 week post xenon exposureTo determine if transient exposure to xenon anesthesia induces a change in rest-activity rhythms (as measured from actigraphy) as has been previously reported for isoflurane. The plan was to collect wrist actigraphy for 1 week before the xenon exposure day and for 1 week following the xenon exposure day. Wrist actigraphy data would be fit with a cosinar analysis function (see Fig 5 from our previous work, PMID: 33970101).
Effects of Xenon on Brain Electrical Activity as Measured by EEG Delta Power4 hoursEEG delta power was modeled as a function of estimated brain xenon concentration using nonlinear sigmoidal dose-response curves. Two models were evaluated: 1. a single curve fit to combined induction (increasing xenon concentration) and emergence (decreasing xenon concentration) data, and 2. separate curves fit to induction and emergence phases. Model fit was compared using Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) to assess whether a single (model 1) or phase-specific relationship (model 2) best described the data. Smaller Akaike Information Criterion values indicate a more likely model fit. Typically AIC differences greater than 4 are considered significant.

Countries

United States

Contacts

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORMaz B Kelz, MD, PhD

University of Pennsylvania

Baseline characteristics

Characteristic
Age, Categorical
<=18 years
0 Participants
Age, Categorical
>=65 years
0 Participants
Age, Categorical
Between 18 and 65 years
29 Participants
Age, Continuous24.0 years
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Asian
2 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Black or African American
4 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Hispanic
5 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Other/No Response
3 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
White
15 Participants
Region of Enrollment
United States
29 participants
Sex: Female, Male
Completing study
Female
8 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Completing study
Male
5 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Enrolled
Female
12 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Enrolled
Male
17 Participants

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
0 / 29
other
Total, other adverse events
0 / 29
serious
Total, serious adverse events
0 / 29

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Sep 1, 2026