Age-dependent EEG Characteristics During Desflurane Anesthesia From Adults to Elderlies

Age-dependent EEG Coupling, Periodic and Aperiodic Characteristics During Desflurane Anesthesia From Adults to Elderlies

This study is a prospective cohort study that records bilateral frontal EEG data from patients undergoing elective non-cardiac or non-neurosurgical surgeries and divides them into different age groups based on age. All patients received maintenance of general anesthesia with desflurane, and the periodic and aperiodic components, permutation cross mutual information (PCMI), and phase lag entropy (PLE) of EEG data were analyzed under different states of wakefulness, general anesthesia, and recovery. Professional correlation analysis methods were used to analyze the EEG spectrum.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Aging; EEG; Desflurane Anesthesia
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Age

Detailed Description

This study investigates how the aging brain responds to general anesthesia (GA). As global populations grow older, an increasing number of elderly patients require surgery with GA. However, the aging brain undergoes significant changes, such as a reduction in brain volume (atrophy) and a decreased ability to metabolize drugs. These factors can make anesthesia riskier for older adults, potentially leading to complications like delayed recovery or post-operative cognitive dysfunction. Currently, most anesthesia monitoring systems are designed based on data from younger, healthier adults and may not accurately reflect the brain state of an elderly patient. This study aims to address this critical gap by analyzing the brain's electrical signals (via EEG) across different age groups to understand how aging influences the brain's response to anesthesia.

The research team enrolled 47 patients, aged between 19 and 82 years, who were scheduled for surgery requiring general anesthesia with desflurane. Participants were divided into three age groups for comparison: young adults (18-40 years), middle-aged adults (40-65 years), and older adults (over 65 years). The investigators analyzed the periodic and aperiodic component, permutation cross mutual information (PCMI) and phase lag entropy (PLE) of EEG data in the states of awake, GA, and recovery.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 47

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• China
  • Beijing Municipality
    • Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China, 100853
      • First Medical center of Chinese PLA General Hospital

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: N/A

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients from a tertiary hospital

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Age ≥ 18 years old, male or female not limited
2. Patients who undergo elective non cardiac surgery or non neurosurgical surgery;
3. ASA classification levels 1-3

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Individuals with central nervous system disorders such as autism, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, epilepsy, or any congenital mental illness;
2. Patients with any contraindications to the use of desflurane, such as those with a history of malignant hyperthermia (MH), allergies to halogenated anesthetics, and patients with significantly elevated intracranial pressure (ICP);
3. Patients with unstable clinical conditions, such as severe hypotension or circulatory failure

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

3

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
18-40 years age group; 18-40 years	Other: Age; Divided into three age groups based on the age of the included patients
40-65 years age group; 40-65 years	Other: Age; Divided into three age groups based on the age of the included patients
>65 years age group; >65 years	Other: Age; Divided into three age groups based on the age of the included patients

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Electroencephalogram-derived Features	The following quantitative features will be extracted and assessed from the electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings: Periodic Component: The oscillatory power within standard frequency bands: Delta (1-4 Hz), Theta (4-8 Hz), Alpha (8-13 Hz), Beta (13-30 Hz), and Gamma (30-45 Hz). Aperiodic Component: The offset and exponent of the background '1/f' activity, extracted via spectral parameterization. Permutation Cross Mutual Information (PCMI): A measure to assess nonlinear coupling and directional information flow between different brain regions. Phase Lag Entropy (PLE): A measure to evaluate the dynamic stability of functional brain connectivity.	Assessed from 2-minute EEG segments at each of three states: Baseline, Under General Anesthesia, and Recovery.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Chinese PLA General Hospital

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 24, 2025
• Primary Completion (Actual): June 30, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): June 30, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 29, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 16, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): November 21, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): November 21, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 16, 2025
• Last Verified: November 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Physiological Phenomena; Growth and Development; Aging
• Other Study ID Numbers: PLAGH-Des-EEG

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No