Invariant Reversible QEEG Effects of Anesthetics
Abstract
Continuous recordings of brain electrical activity were obtained from a group of 176 patients throughout surgical procedures using general anesthesia. Artifact-free data from the 19 electrodes of the International 10/20 System were subjected to quantitative analysis of the electroencephalogram (QEEG). Induction was variously accomplished with etomidate, propofol or thiopental. Anesthesia was maintained throughout the procedures by isoflurane, desflurane or sevoflurane (N = 68), total intravenous anesthesia using propofol (N = 49), or nitrous oxide plus narcotics (N = 59). A set of QEEG measures were found which reversibly displayed high heterogeneity of variance between four states as follows: (1) during induction; (2) just after loss of consciousness (LOC); (3) just before return of consciousness (ROC); (4) just after ROC. Homogeneity of variance across all agents within states was found. Topographic statistical probability images were compared between states. At LOC, power increased in all frequency bands in the power spectrum with the exception of a decrease in gamma activity, and there was a marked anteriorization of power. Additionally, a significant change occurred in hemispheric relationships, with prefrontal and frontal regions of each hemisphere becoming more closely coupled, and anterior and posterior regions on each hemisphere, as well as homologous regions between the two hemispheres, uncoupling. All of these changes reversed upon ROC. Variable resolution electromagnetic tomography (VARETA) was performed to localize salient features of power anteriorization in three dimensions. A common set of neuroanatomical regions appeared to be the locus of the most probable generators of the observed EEG changes.
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Both sleep and waking are under precise homeostatic state control, controlled by thalamocortical circuits timed by basal brain nuclei.
“Both sleep and waking are under precise homeostatic state control (John et al., 2001), controlled by thalamocortical circuits timed by basal brain nuclei.”
From Global Workspace Dynamics: Cortical “Binding and Propagation” Enables Conscious Contents (2013) · cites this paper as John et al., 2001
Active neuronal populations must have dynamic turnover to perform any single brain function, like active muscle cells.
“John et al. (2001) has argued that active neuronal populations must have dynamic turnover to perform any single brain function, like active muscle cells.”
From Global Workspace Dynamics: Cortical “Binding and Propagation” Enables Conscious Contents (2013) · cites this paper as John et al. (2001)
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- Authors
- John, E. R., Prichep, L. S., Kox, W., Valdés-Sosa, P., Bosch-Bayard, J., Aubert, E., Tom, M., diMichele, F., & Gugino, L. D.
- Affiliations
- Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research (US)
- Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin (DE)
- Cuban Neuroscience Center (CU)
- NYU Langone Health (US)
- University of Rome Tor Vergata (IT)
- Brigham and Women's Hospital (US)
- Corresponding author
- John, E.R.
- ORCID
- Tom, M.
- Venue
- Consciousness and Cognition
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2001-06
- Volume
- 10
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 165-183
- ISSN
- 1053-8100 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2061319887
- Cited by
- 274
- References
- 2
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 9 · 2015: 13 · 2014: 14 · 2013: 16 · 2012: 10
- FWCI
- 16.58
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Consciousness and Cognition (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine › Anesthesia and Sedative Agents
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural dynamics and brain function
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Developmental Neuroscience › Anesthesia and Neurotoxicity Research
- Keywords
- general anesthesia, quantitative EEG, loss of consciousness, consciousness recovery, anesthesia induction, etomidate, propofol, thiopental, isoflurane, desflurane, sevoflurane, nitrous oxide, gamma oscillations, EEG source localization
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Anesthesia, General, Anesthetics, Cerebral Cortex, Consciousness, Electroencephalography, Female, Humans, Male, Monitoring, Physiologic, Surgical Procedures, Operative
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