Progress in modelling of brain dynamics during anaesthesia and the role of sleep-wake circuitry.

Progress in modelling of brain dynamics during anaesthesia and the role of sleep-wake circuitry. Biochem Pharmacol. 2020 Dec 21;:114388 Authors: Nguyen G, Postnova S Abstract General anaesthesia is used widely in surgery and during interventional medical procedures, but little is known about the exact neural mechanisms for how unconsciousness arises from administering an anaesthetic drug. Computational modelling of brain dynamics has already provided valuable insights into the neural circuitry involved in generating this state. Current theories for the origin of electroencephalographic (EEG) features in brain activity under GABAergic anaesthetic drugs (e.g. propofol) have been proposed through modelling results. While much attention has been paid to describing alpha and delta oscillations, burst suppression, paradoxical excitation and the possibility of hysteresis during transitions to and from unconscious state, these models have focused only on the role of the thalamocortical system. Recent empirical findings suggest that anaesthetic drugs may act directly on the neural circuitry regulating sleep and wake states and circadian rhythms in the hypothalamus. Coupled with the common behavioural features found in physiological sleep and general anaesthesia, this evidence serves as a foundation for the 'shared circuits hypothesis' by which anaesthetic-induced unconsciousness is proposed to arise predominantly through modulation of the hyp...
Source: Biochemical Pharmacology - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Authors: Tags: Biochem Pharmacol Source Type: research