%0 Journal Article
%T Top-down mechanisms of anesthetic-induced unconsciousness
%A George A. Mashour
%J Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience
%D 2014
%I Frontiers Media
%R 10.3389/fnsys.2014.00115
%X The question of how structurally and pharmacologically diverse general anesthetics disrupt consciousness has persisted since the 19th century. There has traditionally been a significant focus on ˇ°bottom-upˇ± mechanisms of anesthetic action, in terms of sensory processing, arousal systems and structural scales. However, recent evidence suggests that the neural mechanisms of anesthetic-induced unconsciousness may involve a ˇ°top-downˇ± process, which parallels current perspectives on the neurobiology of conscious experience itself. This article considers various arguments for top-down mechanisms of anesthetic-induced unconsciousness, with a focus on sensory processing and sleep-wake networks. Furthermore, recent theoretical work is discussed to highlight the possibility that top-down explanations may be causally sufficient, even assuming critical bottom-up events.
%K Consciousness
%K Anesthesia
%K General
%K ketamine anaesthesia
%K Propofol
%K anesthesia
%K Anesthesia
%K Inhalation
%K Sleep
%U http://www.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnsys.2014.00115/abstract