Guay CS, et al. - Given that response to commands provides only an intermittent, binary measure of consciousness level during induction of anesthesia, researchers combined the object hold method with handgrip dynamometry to continuously record the force applied to hold a dynamometer as a surrogate measure. They tested this method in 14 patients scheduled for elective lumbar surgery and 14 age-matched non-anesthetized controls. They asked the patients to hold the dynamometer with their dominant hand for as long as possible or until told to stop (controls). They infused propofol (1.0 mg·kg^-1·min^-1), after a one-minute baseline, to the patient group until the subject dropped the dynamometer (defining object hold time). According to findings, the use of handgrip dynamometry could enable continuous assessment of volitional control during anesthesia induction, while also dependably demonstrating a gradual loss of consciousness. For studies evaluating mechanisms of anesthesia, this method could have value.