ArticleProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America2023
Propofol disrupts alpha dynamics in functionally distinct thalamocortical networks during loss of consciousness.
Article in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 43 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
43 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 49 citations in OpenAlex.
- A methodological guideline for consciousness assessment via neural electrophysiological activity.Military Medical Research · 2025Guideline
- Thalamus and consciousness: a systematic review on thalamic nuclei associated with consciousness.Frontiers in neurology · 2025Pooled it
- Oscillatory activity underlying cognitive performance in children and adolescents with autism: a systematic review.Frontiers in human neuroscience · 2024Pooled it
- Binary Classification of Consciousness Using Cerebral Blood Flow and EEG Features.Neurocritical care · 2026Article
- Thalamic modulation of cortical linearity across arousal states.Science advances · 2026Article
- RIFT: A Fractal-Holographic Theory of Consciousness and Autopoietic Control.Brain sciences · 2026Article
- An Intraoperative EEG Biomarker for Postoperative Delirium Predicting Based on Interpretable Deep Learning Framework.MedComm · 2026Article
- Cellular and Microcircuit Mechanisms of Anesthetic Disruption of Conscious-State Organization.Cells · 2026Review
- Differential Dynamic Reorganization of Functional Connectivity Based on Phase Synchrony and Amplitude Envelope Coupling During Propofol Sedation.Brain sciences · 2026Article
- Electroencephalographic Monitoring in the Recovery Room for Identification of Patients at Risk for Postoperative Delirium.Anesthesiology · 2026Observational
- Advances in local field potential research in prolonged disorders of consciousness: a narrative review.Chinese neurosurgical journal · 2026Review
- Esketamine Preserves Network Connectivity and Promotes Recovery in Consciousness Disorders.CNS neuroscience & therapeutics · 2026Article
- A geometry aware framework enhances noninvasive mapping of whole human brain dynamics.Nature biomedical engineering · 2026Article
- From index to insight: clinical perspectives on electroencephalographic spectrogram-guided anesthesia-a narrative review.Korean journal of anesthesiology · 2026Review
- Distinct origins of human low and high alpha rhythms revealed by simultaneous EEG-SEEG.Communications biology · 2026Article
- Neurophysiological connectomic signatures of consciousness during propofol-induced general anesthesia.Cell reports. Medicine · 2026Article
- A thalamic perspective of (un)consciousness in pharmacological and pathological states in humans.Brain communications · 2026Article
- Windows to Consciousness: The Role of Fronto-Parietal Connectivity in Anesthesia-Induced Unconsciousness.Current neuropharmacology · 2026Review
- Exploring Nociceptive-Analgesic Balance and EEG Modulation Patterns During General Anesthesia Using Holo-Hilbert Spectral Analysis.Pain research & management · 2026Article
- Frequency-specific microstate correlates of ciprofol-induced alterations of consciousness.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2026Article
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Authors and funding
13 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
During propofol-induced general anesthesia, alpha rhythms measured using electroencephalography undergo a striking shift from posterior to anterior, termed anteriorization, where the ubiquitous waking alpha is lost and a frontal alpha emerges. The functional significance of alpha anteriorization and the precise brain regions contributing to the phenomenon are a mystery. While posterior alpha is thought to be generated by thalamocortical circuits connecting nuclei of the sensory thalamus with their cortical partners, the thalamic origins of the propofol-induced alpha remain poorly understood. Here, we used human intracranial recordings to identify regions in sensory cortices where propofol attenuates a coherent alpha network, distinct from those in the frontal cortex where it amplifies coherent alpha and beta activities. We then performed diffusion tractography between these identified regions and individual thalamic nuclei to show that the opposing dynamics of anteriorization occur within two distinct thalamocortical networks. We found that propofol disrupted a posterior alpha network structurally connected with nuclei in the sensory and sensory associational regions of the thalamus. At the same time, propofol induced a coherent alpha oscillation within prefrontal cortical areas that were connected with thalamic nuclei involved in cognition, such as the mediodorsal nucleus. The cortical and thalamic anatomy involved, as well as their known functional roles, suggests multiple means by which propofol dismantles sensory and cognitive processes to achieve loss of consciousness.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.