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Cited by 1,245Anesthesia and Sedative AgentsPhilosophy and Theoretical ScienceAnesthesia and Neurotoxicity Research

Consciousness and Anesthesia

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Alkire, Michael T., Hudetz, Anthony G., Tononi, Giulio·2008·Science
DOI 10.1126/science.1149213PMC PMC2743249
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Abstract

When we are anesthetized, we expect consciousness to vanish. But does it always? Although anesthesia undoubtedly induces unresponsiveness and amnesia, the extent to which it causes unconsciousness is harder to establish. For instance, certain anesthetics act on areas of the brain's cortex near the midline and abolish behavioral responsiveness, but not necessarily consciousness. Unconsciousness is likely to ensue when a complex of brain regions in the posterior parietal area is inactivated. Consciousness vanishes when anesthetics produce functional disconnection in this posterior complex, interrupting cortical communication and causing a loss of integration; or when they lead to bistable, stereotypic responses, causing a loss of information capacity. Thus, anesthetics seem to cause unconsciousness when they block the brain's ability to integrate information.

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Authors
Alkire, M. T., Hudetz, A. G., & Tononi, G.
Affiliations
University of Wisconsin–Madison (US)
Corresponding author
Tononi, Giulio
ORCID
Venue
Science
Publisher
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Published
2008-11-07
Volume
322
Issue
5903
Pages
876-880
ISSN
  • 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
  • 1095-9203
DOI
10.1126/science.1149213
PMC
PMC2743249
OpenAlex
W2135390742
Cited by
1,245
References
7
Citations by year
2026: 55 · 2025: 61 · 2024: 94 · 2023: 64 · 2022: 71 · 2021: 89 · 2020: 76 · 2019: 75 · 2018: 72 · 2017: 76 · 2016: 72 · 2015: 73 · 2014: 84 · 2013: 74 · 2012: 58
FWCI
8.74
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Science (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (DP1OD000579)
  • National Institute of General Medical Sciences (R01GM056398)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine › Anesthesia and Sedative Agents
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Philosophy and Theoretical Science
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Developmental Neuroscience › Anesthesia and Neurotoxicity Research
Keywords
consciousness, anesthesia, loss of consciousness, posterior parietal cortex, functional disconnection, information integration, anesthetic mechanisms
MeSH terms
Anesthesia, Anesthetics, Animals, Cerebral Cortex, Consciousness, Electroencephalography, Humans, Memory, Mental Processes, Neurons, Sleep, Thalamus, Unconsciousness

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