The topographical properties of paediatric brain electrical activity during anaesthesia

Despite thousands of children anaesthetised yearly at the Royal Children's Hospital, surprisingly little is known about how anaesthesia interacts with the brain. We recruited 60 children ages five to fourteen years. Children were induced with sevoflurane or propofol and high density electroencephalography was recorded. Age-related changes were not statistically significant in the topography or functional connectivity results. However, connectivity in frontal networks increased with anaesthesia which is different finding to adults. This work provides insight into the mechanisms responsible for the modulation of brain activity during anaesthesia which may help us reduce side-effects from too much or too little anaesthesia.