Effects of propofol on the cognition and hippocampal N-methyl-D-aspartate subunits expression in an MPTP-induced Parkinson’s disease rat model

The current findings indicate that chronic propofol treatment exacerbated MPTP-induced inhibitory avoidance (IA) memory impairment and aggravated the imbalance of hippocampal NR2A/NR2B ratio in MPTP-lesioned rats. Our current data demonstrate a correlation, not direct causation, between NR2A/NR2B dysregulation and cognitive impairment. Future studies should probe whether this imbalance is a driver or consequence of synaptic dysfunction.