Author: Xia Muchao, et al.
Anesthesia & Analgesia ():10.1213/ANE.0000000000007649, July 31, 2025. doi:10.1213/ANE.0000000000007649
Summary
Xia and colleagues used widefield cortical imaging in Thy1-GCaMP6s mice to examine how different anesthetics alter cortical dynamics during loss of consciousness. They found that ketamine, propofol, and isoflurane all enhanced 1.5–2.5 Hz oscillations in the retrosplenial cortex (RSC), a region showing significantly stronger oscillatory activity than other cortical areas. Ketamine and isoflurane also demonstrated structured signaling patterns. These findings suggest the RSC plays a central role in anesthesia-induced unconsciousness and may represent a common target across different anesthetic agents.
Practical implications
• The retrosplenial cortex may be a critical biomarker region for monitoring depth of anesthesia.
• Oscillatory activity in the 1.5–2.5 Hz range could help identify transitions into unconsciousness.
• Understanding region-specific oscillatory signatures may guide anesthetic management and future monitoring technologies.
References
Xia Muchao, et al. Anesthesia & Analgesia ():10.1213/ANE.0000000000007649, July 31, 2025. doi:10.1213/ANE.0000000000007649