‘Op gas can harm brain’

A GAS commonly given as a general anaesthetic could cause learning difficulties in young children, a study has found.

Brain development was disrupted in newborn mice exposed to isoflurane, researchers found.

Researcher Dr Eunchai Kang, at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, said: “Early exposure to isoflurane can cause learning deficits.” The team say the discovery can help them minimise the effects.