Comparative brain-wide mapping of ketamine- and isoflurane-activated nuclei and functional networks in the mouse brain.
eLife March 21, 2024 Yue Hu, Wenjie Du, Jiangtao Qi et al. 27 citations
Ketamine and isoflurane, two general anesthetics, produce unconsciousness through different neural mechanisms in mice. Ketamine activates many brain regions, especially cortical and subcortical areas involved in sensory, motor, emotional, and reward processing, with the temporal association areas acting as a strong hub, suggesting a top-down effect on consciousness by targeting higher-order cortical networks. Isoflurane primarily affects hypothalamic regions controlling neuroendocrine, autonomic, and homeostatic functions, with the locus coeruleus as a connector hub, indicating a bottom-up mechanism. Both anesthetics activate shared pathways for sensory processing, memory, cognition, reward, and autonomic control, revealing overlapping effects.