Breakdown of Cortical Effective Connectivity During Sleep
Science September 29, 2005 Marcello Massimini, Fabio Ferrarelli, Reto Huber et al. 1,603 citations
During non-rapid eye movement sleep, the brain's response to a direct cortical stimulus is stronger but fails to propagate beyond the stimulation site, unlike during quiet wakefulness when the activation spreads to distant connected areas. This breakdown in cortical effective connectivity may explain why consciousness fades during certain sleep stages despite ongoing brain activity.