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Study design

Researchers assembled neural activity datasets spanning humans, macaques, marmosets, mice, zebrafish and nematodes, measured with fMRI or calcium imaging. They extracted more than 6,000 time-series features and compared wakefulness with anesthetized states across drugs and species.

What the findings show

Across the datasets, anesthesia was associated with reduced temporal autocorrelation, shorter intrinsic timescales and weaker synchrony between regions. Deep-brain stimulation of the macaque centromedian thalamus, which restored behavioral responsiveness, shifted neural dynamics in the opposite direction. Modeling suggested a possible link to excitation and inhibition.

Limits

The study reanalyzed datasets collected with different methods, anesthetics and sample sizes; cross-species convergence does not prove one molecular mechanism. Thalamic stimulation was tested in macaques, and modeling provides a hypothesis rather than direct confirmation of synaptic causation.

This sourced news summary and translation were prepared with AI assistance. Source links, the news date and research limitations are disclosed; this is not a claim of independent medical expert review. News production method.

Sources

Research news is not medical advice or a recommendation to use a substance. Read findings in the context of the study design, participants and limitations. Editorial standards.

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