Modelling general anaesthesia as a first-order phase transition in the cortex

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dc.contributor.authorSteyn-Ross, Moira L.
dc.contributor.authorSteyn-Ross, D. Alistair
dc.contributor.authorSleigh, James W.
dc.coverage.spatialAuckland, NEW ZEALANDen_NZ
dc.date.accessioned2008-04-16T22:10:37Z
dc.date.available2008-04-16T22:10:37Z
dc.date.issued2004-01
dc.description.abstractSince 1997 we have been developing a theoretical foundation for general anaesthesia. We have been able to demonstrate that the abrupt change in brain state broughton by anaesthetic drugs can be characterized as a first-order phase transition in the population-average membrane voltage of the cortical neurons. The theory predicts that, as the critical point of phase-change into unconsciousness is approached, the electrical fluctuations in cortical activity will grow strongly in amplitude while slowing in frequency, becoming more correlated both in time and in space. Thus the bio-electrical change of brain-state has deep similarities with thermodynamic phase changes of classical physics. The theory further predicts the existence of a second critical point, hysteretically separated from the first, corresponding to the return path from comatose unconsciousness back to normal responsiveness. There is a steadily accumulating body of clinical evidence in support of all of the phasetransition predictions: low-frequency power surge in EEG activity; increased correlation time and correlation length in EEG fluctuations; hysteresis separation, with respect to drug concentration, between the point of induction and the point of emergence.en_US
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifier.citationSteyn-Ross, M.L., Steyn-Ross, D.A. & Sleigh, J.W. (2004). Modelling general anaesthesia as a first-order phase transition in the cortex. Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology 85(2-3), 369-385.en_US
dc.identifier.doi10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2004.02.001en_US
dc.identifier.issn0079-6107
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10289/769
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherElsevieren_NZ
dc.relation.isPartOfBiophysics and Molecular Biologyen_NZ
dc.relation.urihttp://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/408/description#descriptionen_US
dc.rightsThis is an author’s version preprint of an article published in the journal Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology.en_US
dc.subjectanaesthesiaen_US
dc.subjectcortical modelingen_US
dc.subjectEEGen_US
dc.subjectphase transitionen_US
dc.subjecthysteresisen_US
dc.titleModelling general anaesthesia as a first-order phase transition in the cortexen_US
dc.typeJournal Articleen_US
pubs.begin-page369en_NZ
pubs.elements-id30034
pubs.end-page385en_NZ
pubs.issue2-3en_NZ
pubs.volume85en_NZ
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