The electromagnetic correlates of gaseous dissociative anaesthesia in humans

Uncovering the neural correlates of consciousness remains at the forefront of neuroscientific investigations. Anaesthesia is an ideal tool for such investigations, allowing for the controlled and reversible manipulation of the degree of consciousness. This work probed anaesthetic induced unconsciousness using the under-utilized gaseous anaesthetics Xenon and Nitrous Oxide. Electrophysiological neuroimaging techniques were used to investigate brain neurophysiology during reduced consciousness in healthy volunteers to uncover shared and disparate pathways to unconsciousness. The search for universal mechanisms of anaesthesia is expected to meaningfully contribute to understanding the mechanistic distinction between conscious and unconscious processing and thus inform clinical anaesthesia practice.