Neurophysiological connectomic signatures of consciousness during propofol-induced general anesthesia
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: General anesthesia induces reversible changes in consciousness through cortical activity and connectivity alterations, yet the functional connectome dynamics underlying propofol-induced unconsciousness remains unclear. We analyze high-density 128-channel electroencephalogram (EEG) from 31 surgical patients using source localization to identify neurobiological connectome signatures of propofol anesthesia. Propofol anesthesia increases delta and theta functional connectivity and decreases alpha, beta, and gamma connectivity. A classification model and dynamic analysis of consciousness loss reveals that alpha-band connectivity between parietal, occipital, and subcortical regions is critical for sustaining consciousness, with its disruption marking a key transition to unconsciousness. EEG from 46 additional patients under mild sedation with low-dose propofol confirms that decreased parietal-related alpha connectivity serves as a stable marker of reduced consciousness, insensitive to subtle fluctuations but sensitive to the transition from consciousness to unconsciousness. These findings suggest that parietal, occipital, and subcortical alpha connectivity serves as a reliable neural correlate of propofol-induced unconsciousness.
Source: Cell Reports Medicine
Authors: Yuqin Li, Xiaoxiao Chen, Hui Zheng, Senqi Li, Qingyu Teng, Chengyu Wang, Fali Li, Zhongcong Xie, Daniel Sessler, Zhe Zhang, Peng Xu, Ti-Fei Yuan, Tao Xu
Institutions: University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Language: English
Subfield: Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $5,620
Funders: National Natural Science Foundation of China, Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China, China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Young Scientists Fund, National Key Research and Development Program of China
OpenAlex ID: W7126069649