Effects of Anesthesia on Effective Connectivity in the Brain ()
ABSTRACT
The brain constitutes a
formidably complicated structural network. There are three main types of
connectivity used to describe neuronal networks, which reflect three parallel
levels of investigation: anatomical connectivity, functional connectivity and
effective connectivity. Effective connectivity indicates the direct influence
that a node exerts on another, and in the context of neuronal circuits, a causal relationship
between the activities of two nodes. Since its definition, effective connectivity analysis has been used to
describe causal relationship across multiple spatial scales in PET imaging, fMRI,
electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetoencephalography (MEG), single-unit, and
local field potential. There are diverse literatures which probe the
anesthetized state using
effective connectivity analysis over the past two decades. The examination of
effective connectivity in the anesthetized state is of relevance to both
anesthesiologists and neuroscientists, as it has the potential to elucidate
still unclear mechanisms of anesthesia while offering insight into intrinsic
functional activity in the brain. The present review attempts to examine, elucidate,
and integrate the insight that effective connectivity analysis of the
anesthetized state has generated thus far.
Share and Cite:
Xu, X. , Wang, G. and Tian, X. (2015) Effects of Anesthesia on Effective Connectivity in the Brain.
World Journal of Neuroscience,
5, 99-107. doi:
10.4236/wjns.2015.52012.