Annals of Neurology
August 20, 2015
Pengmin Qin, Xuehai Wu, Zirui Huang et al.
144 citations
Functional connectivity within two brain networks plays distinct roles in disorders of consciousness. Connectivity in the salience network, particularly between the supragenual anterior cingulate cortex and left anterior insula, was reduced in patients with unresponsive wakefulness syndrome compared to those in a minimally conscious state or fully conscious brain-lesioned patients. This connectivity correlated with behavioral signs of consciousness. In contrast, connectivity in the default-mode network, specifically between the posterior cingulate cortex and left lateral parietal cortex, was weaker in patients with unresponsive wakefulness syndrome who did not recover compared to those who later emerged from this state, suggesting this network predicts recovery of consciousness.
Human Brain Mapping
July 1, 2013
Zirui Huang, Rui Dai, Xuehai Wu et al.
104 citations
Patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC) show reduced brain activity in midline regions (anterior and posterior cingulate cortex) during self-referential thinking tasks compared to healthy individuals. The degree of signal reduction in the perigenual anterior cingulate cortex predicts their level of consciousness. These same midline regions also display abnormal resting-state functional connectivity and low-frequency fluctuations. The findings link self-referential processing, resting-state brain activity, and consciousness, suggesting that neural abnormalities in these areas contribute to DOC.
Human Brain Mapping
January 28, 2018
Jianfeng Zhang, Zirui Huang, Yali Chen et al.
70 citations
During anesthetic-induced unconsciousness, two temporal features of brain activity—long-range temporal correlations (measured by power-law exponent) and temporal variability (measured by standard deviation)—both decrease globally across the brain compared to wakefulness. The spatial relationship between these two features becomes altered, or 'decoupled,' primarily due to changes in the spatial pattern of long-range temporal correlations rather than temporal variability. This suggests that the topographical organization of long-range temporal correlations is crucial for maintaining optimal neural dynamics during normal consciousness, supporting the temporo-spatial theory of consciousness.
NeuroImage
May 1, 2021
Pengmin Qin, Xuehai Wu, Changwei Wu et al.
51 citations
Consciousness depends on a network of brain regions that integrate sensory and motor information. Analyzing fMRI data from people in preserved (awake, fully conscious brain-injury survivors), reduced (N1-sleep, minimally conscious), and lost (N3-sleep, anesthesia, unresponsive wakefulness) states, plus a unique rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep group, researchers identified key hubs whose degree centrality—a measure of network importance—dropped significantly when consciousness was reduced or absent. These hubs included the supplementary motor area, bilateral supramarginal gyrus, supragenual/dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, and left middle temporal gyrus. A higher-order sensorimotor circuit connecting these regions showed functional connectivity that correlated with consciousness levels across groups and remained active in REM sleep, suggesting this circuit supports consciousness and offers new targets for treating disorders of consciousness.