|
  |
|
|
Krasnow Institute > Monday Seminars > Abstracts
A phase-transition model for general anesthesia Assoc Prof Moira Steyn-Ross & Dr Alistair Steyn-Ross Physics Department, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand Anesthesia is a drug-induced, temporary state of consciousness characterized by amnesia, analgesia, and suppressed cortical response to noxious stimulus. We present a mean-field model of the cortex that describes the changes in EEG patterns during the induction/ emergence cycle of a GABAergic anesthetic drug such as propofol. The theory predicts a first-order phase transition in average excitatory soma voltage, heralded by dramatic changes in the power and spectral distribution of the EEG fluctuations. We discuss clinical results that appear to confirm the major theoretical predictions. .
The Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study |
|
