How Anesthesia Affects Brain Connectivity
Author Information
Author(s): Ku Seung-Woo, Lee UnCheol, Noh Gyu-Jeong, Jun In-Gu, Mashour George A.
Primary Institution: Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine
Hypothesis
Preferential inhibition of frontoparietal feedback connectivity is a common feature of general anesthesia in surgical patients.
Conclusion
The study found that general anesthesia disrupts feedback connectivity in the brain, which returns upon recovery.
Supporting Evidence
- Feedback connectivity was significantly reduced during anesthesia compared to baseline.
- Both propofol and sevoflurane showed similar effects on feedback connectivity.
- Feedback connectivity returned to baseline levels upon recovery from anesthesia.
Takeaway
When people are under general anesthesia, the way their brain areas talk to each other changes, but it goes back to normal when they wake up.
Methodology
Eighteen patients underwent EEG monitoring during different states of consciousness: baseline, anesthetic induction, general anesthesia, recovery, and post-recovery.
Potential Biases
Potential spurious causality due to differences in power spectra between frontal and parietal regions.
Limitations
The study had a limited number of EEG channels and patients for each anesthetic, and did not consider the posterior region.
Participant Demographics
18 patients (8 males, 10 females), aged 29-66 years, scheduled for elective abdominal or breast surgery.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p=0.0052
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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