ON THE COVER:
γ-Aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptors mediate important effects of intravenous general anesthetics. Prior studies have defined the detailed molecular structure of this voltage-gated ion channel and how general anesthetics like propofol and etomidate bind to these channels. In this issue of Anesthesiology, Nourmahnad et al. use mutation-based strategies combined with voltage-clamp electrophysiology to identify distinct binding sites for four intravenous anesthetics.
Nourmahnad et al.: Tryptophan and Cysteine Mutations in M1 Helices of α1β3γ2L γ-Aminobutyric Acid Type A Receptors Indicate Distinct Intersubunit Sites for Four Intravenous Anesthetics and One Orphan Site, p. 1144
Jenkins and Jenkins: Anesthetic–Receptor Relationship Status: It’s Complicated, p. 1088
