Using Drosophila to Understand General Anesthesia: From Synapses to Behavior

Investigating mechanisms of general anesthesia requires access to multiple levels of neuronal function, from effects at individual synapses to responses in behaving animals. Drosophila melanogaster provides an excellent model to test different theories for general anesthesia because it offers robust methods for testing local as well as global target processes, in an animal that is similarly impacted by these diverse drugs as humans. Here, we outline methods to quantify two such endpoints, neurotransmission and behavioral responsiveness, focusing on the intravenous drug propofol.