Knowledge Tree
anesthesia
Also known as: anesthetic, anaesthesia
Facts (27)
Sources
A Synergistic Workspace for Human Consciousness Revealed by ... elifesciences.org 17 facts
claimIncreases in integrated information during anaesthesia appear to coincide with broadcaster nodes of the synergistic workspace.
claimBehaviourally unresponsive participants have been shown to perform mental imagery tasks during anaesthesia, which constitutes a case of disconnected consciousness.
claimLoss of consciousness in anesthesia and disorders of consciousness is characterized by a breakdown of entry points to the 'synergistic core,' which prevents the proper integration of inputs for the workspace.
referenceThe study 'Whole-brain modelling identifies distinct but convergent paths to unconsciousness in anaesthesia and disorders of consciousness' was published in Communications Biology (volume 5).
claimThe researchers identified specific ΦR connections that were reduced when consciousness was lost due to both anesthesia and brain injury, and were restored during post-anaesthetic recovery.
measurementThe test statistic for shared effects across datasets is the minimum of three F-scores obtained from comparisons of DOC vs awake, anaesthesia vs awake, and anaesthesia vs recovery.
measurementDreaming during anaesthesia has been reported to occur in up to 27% of cases.
referenceThe study 'Dreaming During Anesthesia and Anesthetic Depth in Elective Surgery Patients' published in Anesthesiology examines the occurrence of dreaming and anesthetic depth in patients undergoing elective surgery.
claimA previous study using ECoG recordings in non-human primates demonstrated a broadband shift away from synergy during anaesthesia, which aligns with the authors' observed reduction in ΦR (integrated information).
claimIntegrated information in the human brain is reduced during anaesthesia compared to wakefulness.
claimThe Default Mode Network (DMN) exhibits compromised information content and integrative capacity during loss of consciousness induced by anesthesia, severe brain injury, and COVID-19.
claimResearchers identified common changes across three states of consciousness (Disorders of Consciousness, anaesthesia, and wakefulness/recovery) by defining edges in terms of ΦR (Integrated Information) that consistently increased or decreased across specific comparisons: Disorders of Consciousness versus control, anaesthesia versus wakefulness, and anaesthesia versus post-anaesthetic recovery.
referenceThe paper 'Dopaminergic brainstem disconnection is common to pharmacological and pathological consciousness perturbation' by Guedj et al. (2021) reports that a disconnection in the dopaminergic brainstem is a shared feature in both pharmacological (anesthesia) and pathological (disorders of consciousness) states of altered consciousness.
claimElectrical stimulation of the central thalamus in non-human primates can reliably induce awakening from anaesthesia, which is accompanied by the reversal of electrophysiological and fMRI markers of anaesthesia.
claimThe original formulation of Integrated Information Theory (Φ) introduced by Balduzzi and Tononi did not identify reductions in integrated information common across anaesthesia and disorders of consciousness, but instead identified common increases.
measurementThe study authors observed a paradoxical net increase in lateral prefrontal integrated information during anaesthesia and disorders of consciousness (DOC).
claimThe loss of consciousness across anaesthesia and disorders of consciousness corresponds to anterior-posterior disconnection between default mode network nodes that act as gateways into the synergistic workspace.
The Montreal model: an integrative biomedical-psychedelic ... frontiersin.org 2 facts
AI Sessions #9: The Case Against AI Consciousness (with Anil Seth) conspicuouscognition.com Feb 17, 2026 1 fact
claimMedical professionals sometimes administer less than a full dose of anesthesia as an insurance policy.
Quantum mechanics and the puzzle of human consciousness alleninstitute.org May 30, 2024 1 fact
accountIn a 2018 study, researchers in China explored how four isotopes of xenon, a noble gas with anesthetic properties, affected consciousness in mice.
Consciousness-Induced Quantum State Reduction - Nova Spivack novaspivack.com Jun 2, 2025 1 fact
claimIf specific quantum effects are reliably modulated by the state and complexity (Ωobs) of an observer’s consciousness, this could enable objective physical measures for assessing the depth of anesthesia, quantifying consciousness levels in patients with disorders such as coma or vegetative states, and developing biomarkers for psychiatric conditions involving altered states of awareness.
Resting State Networks and Consciousness - PMC - NIH pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov 1 fact
claimFunctional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) resting state studies demonstrate that Default Mode Network (DMN) connectivity is reduced during altered states of consciousness, including sleep, sedation, anesthesia, and hypnotic states.
A virtual clinical trial of psychedelics to treat patients with disorders ... eurekalert.org Nov 24, 2025 1 fact
claimAlnagger et al. validated their method of simulated perturbations by showing that the response to perturbation was lower in states of lower consciousness, such as in patients with disorders of consciousness and healthy participants under anaesthesia, compared to normal waking consciousness.
Quantum Approaches to Consciousness plato.stanford.edu Nov 30, 2004 1 fact
referenceIn the 2018 study 'Nuclear spin attenuates the anesthetic potency of xenon isotopes in mice: Implications for the mechanisms of anesthesia and consciousness', Li et al. found that nuclear spin affects the anesthetic potency of xenon isotopes in mice.
Consciousness (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy/Fall 2025 ... plato.stanford.edu Jun 18, 2004 1 fact
referenceHans Flohr published 'An information processing theory of anesthesia' in 1995.
Psychedelics Assessed In New Virtual Clinical Trial - EMJ emjreviews.com Nov 27, 2025 1 fact
claimThe virtual clinical trial method was validated by demonstrating that responses to perturbations were lower in states of reduced consciousness, such as in patients with disorders of consciousness and healthy people under anaesthesia, compared with normal waking states.