RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Spatiotemporal Reconfiguration of Large-Scale Brain Functional Networks during Propofol-Induced Loss of Consciousness
JF The Journal of Neuroscience
JO J. Neurosci.
FD Society for Neuroscience
SP 12832
OP 12840
DO 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.6046-11.2012
VO 32
IS 37
A1 Schröter, Manuel S.
A1 Spoormaker, Victor I.
A1 Schorer, Anna
A1 Wohlschläger, Afra
A1 Czisch, Michael
A1 Kochs, Eberhard F.
A1 Zimmer, Claus
A1 Hemmer, Bernhard
A1 Schneider, Gerhard
A1 Jordan, Denis
A1 Ilg, Rüdiger
YR 2012
UL http://www.jneurosci.org/content/32/37/12832.abstract
AB Applying graph theoretical analysis of spontaneous BOLD fluctuations in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we investigated whole-brain functional connectivity of 11 healthy volunteers during wakefulness and propofol-induced loss of consciousness (PI-LOC). After extraction of regional fMRI time series from 110 cortical and subcortical regions, we applied a maximum overlap discrete wavelet transformation and investigated changes in the brain's intrinsic spatiotemporal organization. During PI-LOC, we observed a breakdown of subcortico-cortical and corticocortical connectivity. Decrease of connectivity was pronounced in thalamocortical connections, whereas no changes were found for connectivity within primary sensory cortices. Graph theoretical analyses revealed significant changes in the degree distribution and local organization metrics of brain functional networks during PI-LOC: compared with a random network, normalized clustering was significantly increased, as was small-worldness. Furthermore we observed a profound decline in long-range connections and a reduction in whole-brain spatiotemporal integration, supporting a topological reconfiguration during PI-LOC. Our findings shed light on the functional significance of intrinsic brain activity as measured by spontaneous BOLD signal fluctuations and help to understand propofol-induced loss of consciousness.