Analysis of brain connectivity during nitrous oxide sedation using graph theory.
Scientific reports February 11, 2020 Ji-Min Lee, Pil-Jong Kim, Hong-Gee Kim et al.
Nitrous oxide administered at 50% for conscious sedation alters brain network connectivity in healthy adults. EEG recordings from 20 volunteers showed a steeper 1/f slope during sedation compared to baseline, indicating changes in brain network systems. Network connectivity parameters differed significantly in delta, alpha1, alpha2, and beta2 frequency bands, with the most pronounced functional distance changes in alpha1 and alpha2 bands. These alterations suggest nitrous oxide interferes with information integration in frequency bands important for cognitive processes and attention, which may relate to its sedative mechanism.