Anesthetic modulation of water diffusion: Insights from a diffusion tensor imaging study

•Mean diffusivity (MD) was subject to anesthesia regimens.•The estimated MD was higher under isoflurane anesthesia than that under alpha-chloralose anesthesia.•Fractional anisotropy (FA) quantitation was also influenced by the anesthesia regimens.•Compared with the alpha-chloralose protocol, the isoflurane protocol resulted in the lower FA.