Using the EEG we can observe highly structured patterns related to different states of altered arousal. These patterns are related to the physiological actions of different anesthetic drugs on specific molecular targets, in specific neural circuits of the brain. With practice these EEG patterns can become easy to recognize and can be used to provide tailored, “personalized anesthesia care”. This 2-part series will cover the essential information for understanding the EEG and what is represented in the EEG waveform and spectrogram. This series will also discuss the link between the neurophysiological mechanisms and EEG signatures of major anesthetic drugs: propofol, dexmedetomidine, ketamine, and inhaled anesthetics such as sevoflurane.

There are profound structural and functional changes in the brain that occur during typical aging. These changes make elderly patients (i.e., 60 years old and older) an extremely vulnerable patient group for anesthesia. This 2-part series builds on the previous Clinical EEG for Anesthesia modules to discuss key insights on how anesthesia management differs between young and elderly patient groups and how we can provide better anesthesia care for elderly patients.