Scale-free dynamics in the core-periphery topography and task alignment decline from conscious to unconscious states
Communications Biology May 9, 2023 Philipp Klar, Yasir Çatal, Robert Langner et al. 35 citations
Scale-free physiological processes are common in the human body. Resting-state fMRI studies found that anesthesia eliminates scale-free dynamics. This study examines scale-free dynamics in the cerebral cortex's unimodal periphery and transmodal core during rest and tasks at three conscious levels (awake, sedation, anesthesia), complemented by computational modeling. The results show that anesthesia transforms pink noise into white noise, disrupting the brain's alignment with a task's temporal structure. The model indicates that stimuli with pink noise, unlike brown or white noise, modulate task-related activity. The findings support two mechanisms of consciousness—temporo-spatial nestedness and alignment—proposed by the Temporo-Spatial Theory of Consciousness.