We used Western blotting to assess the protein levels of c-Fos (A and B) and BDNF (C and D). Anesthesia caused a decrease in expression of c-Fos when measured at 2 h (A; *, p=0.02; n=6) and at 24 h (B; *, p=0.015; n=7) as compared with age-matched controls. Anesthesia causes a decrease in BDNF protein when measured at 2 h (C; ***, p=0.0002; n=14) and at 24 h (D; **, p=0.0016; n=14), as compared with aged-matched sham controls.