Short or moderate-time exposure to the inhalational anesthetics isoflurane and sevoflurane does not alter the marble-burying behavior in mice.

Several studies suggest the involvement of glutamatergic neurotransmission in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Some NMDA glutamatergic receptor antagonists, such as the general anesthetic ketamine, have shown anti-OCD effects in preclinical and clinical studies. Therefore, we investigated whether the inhalational anesthetics isoflurane and sevoflurane, which are general anesthetics acting as NMDA receptor antagonists, would induce the same effects.