NeuroImage
February 15, 2021
Andrea I Luppi, Robin L Carhart-Harris, Leor Roseman et al.
186 citations
LSD alters brain network dynamics non-uniformly over time, making globally segregated connectivity states more complex and weakening the link between functional and anatomical connectivity. The drug reduces functional connectivity in the anterior medial prefrontal cortex specifically during states of high segregation. Ego dissolution was predicted by increased small-world organization during a state of high global integration. These temporally-specific effects reveal a more nuanced picture of psychedelic-induced changes in brain connectivity and complexity than previously reported.
Communications biology
January 28, 2023
Andrea I Luppi, Jakub Vohryzek, Morten L Kringelbach et al.
98 citations
Consciousness depends on how tightly brain function follows the brain's physical wiring. Using MRI scans, researchers measured structure-function coupling across spatial scales in people who were unconscious from anesthesia or brain injury and in people under psychedelics (LSD or ketamine). During loss of consciousness, function more closely tracked the brain's structural connections, a signature that could distinguish behaviorally similar brain-injured patients and detect covert consciousness. In contrast, psychedelics decoupled function from structure, and this decoupling correlated with physiological and subjective scores. The findings suggest that connectome harmonic decomposition reveals how neuromodulation and network architecture jointly shape consciousness.
eLife
July 18, 2024
Andrea I Luppi, Pedro A M Mediano, Fernando E Rosas et al.
1 citation
Loss of consciousness significantly disrupts the brain's ability to integrate information. In a study involving functional MRI analysis, it was revealed that gateway regions in a 'synergistic global workspace' correspond to the default mode network, while broadcaster regions align with the executive control network. This integration breakdown occurs during general anaesthesia or disorders of consciousness, with recovery restoring functionality. The findings enhance understanding of consciousness by bridging Global Neuronal Workspace and Integrated Information Theory, highlighting the critical role of brain networks in maintaining conscious experience.
Brain communications
January 1, 2026
Dorottya Szocs, Dian Lyu, Andrea I Luppi et al.
The pulvinar nucleus of the thalamus shows the strongest functional connectivity change with loss of consciousness under anesthesia in healthy volunteers, while the ventral-latero-ventral nucleus shows the strongest change in patients with disorders of consciousness. These nuclei exhibit distinct connectivity patterns with higher-order brain networks such as the default mode and executive control networks. In patients, the neural connectivity biomarker mirrored behavioral changes, suggesting potential clinical relevance for targeted deep brain stimulation therapy.
Communications biology
November 3, 2022
Peter Coppola, Judith Allanson, Lorina Naci et al.
Consciousness is associated with short-term brain connectivity transitions that are less predictable, quicker, but on average more constant than those in unconscious states. By combining modern consciousness theories with phenomenology and dynamical systems theory, the authors created an individual-specific landscape of brain connectivity dynamics as a proxy for the stream of consciousness. They found that temporally-specific connectivity states are less easily describable by network patterns distant in time, suggesting a richer space of possible states. The cortex, cerebellum, and subcortex all display consciousness-relevant dynamics.