Is it possible for anesthesia cause progressive supranuclear palsy (psp)?

NO: Psp was described by steele and richardson many years ago. It was then found to be a progressive disease similar to parkinsons. It is assumed that it is a form of slow virus, but no definite or consistent cause has been uncovered. Certain stress states may bring out the symptoms, including surgery and anesthesia, but can not be considered as the cause.

Unlikely: Though anesthetics do have an effect on the brain, it is unlikely that they would cause this problem. The anesthetics that we use can decrease blood flow to certain areas of the brain, so they might unmask a pre-existing psp, but again that is speculation. I would talk to your neurologist about this problem.