Sevoflurane enhances brain glycolysis and lactate production in aged marmosets

Editor—Anaesthetic exposure leads to increased lactate levels in the blood and brain of children and experimental animals.1,2 Lactate is a product of glycolysis, the pathway activated when the main energy source, glucose, is depleted. Glycolysis and lactate are implicated in brain pathologies including ischaemia and delirium.2,3 We sought to determine whether anaesthesia with sevoflurane affects glycolysis and related metabolism in ageing brains.