A study states that children who had been put under anesthesia in the course of infancy may suffer from long-term memory deficiency.
Researchers from the University of California conducted a research to find out the memory capacity of children who had been anesthetized before age one. Their capacity to recall was compared to another group consisting of children who have never been anesthetized. In a ten-month period, both groups were asked to recollect the details of a set of drawings. Results showed that children injected with anesthesia had lower scores in the overall recollection tests.
The study is a realization to the learning ability of anesthetized children, researchers said. A weak ability to recollect may possibly cause complexity in children’s reading comprehension, classroom learning, and autobiographical memory.
The researchers further stressed that the study does not daunt the usage of anesthesia. Instead, it's looking forward to inspire more methodical investigations on the issue, mainly, the long-term effects of anesthesia and its use on children.