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Similar destabilization of neural dynamics under different general anesthetics
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|September 5, 2025
Summary
Different anesthetics cause unconsciousness by destabilizing brain activity dynamics. This shared neural mechanism, cortical destabilization, correlates with loss of consciousness and explains low-frequency brain waves during anesthesia.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Anesthesiology
- Computational Neuroscience
Background:
- Anesthetics induce unconsciousness via diverse mechanisms.
- A convergent neural effect on brain dynamics is hypothesized.
- Understanding shared neural correlates of anesthesia is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if anesthetics converge on a common effect on neural dynamics.
- To analyze the impact of propofol, ketamine, and dexmedetomidine on cortical state stability.
- To link anesthetic-induced dynamical changes to consciousness levels.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of intracortical electrophysiological recordings.
- Estimation of dynamical stability using a rigorous method.
- Comparison of neural dynamics during infusions of three distinct anesthetics.
Main Results:
- All tested anesthetics destabilized cortical dynamics.
- Destabilization correlated with slower sensory perturbation recovery and longer autocorrelation times.
- Lower-frequency brain activity changes were prominent and tracked consciousness fluctuations.
Conclusions:
- Cortical destabilization is a shared neural correlate of anesthetic-induced unconsciousness.
- This finding provides a mechanistic explanation for low-frequency oscillations during anesthesia.
- Dynamical destabilization offers a unified view of anesthetic action on the brain.
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