Cell Reports
May 1, 2021
Zirui Huang, Vijay Tarnal, Phillip E. Vlisides et al.
119 citations
Conscious access to sensory information is likely gated at an intermediate site between primary sensory and transmodal association cortices, with the anterior insular cortex (AIC) playing a key role. Functional neuroimaging using a volitional mental imagery task in healthy volunteers, with propofol titrated to loss of behavioral responsiveness, showed that AIC dysfunction is associated with impaired transitions between default-mode and dorsal attention networks. Candidate subcortical regions such as the thalamus and basal forebrain did not show this association. In awake participants, pre-stimulus AIC activity near perceptual threshold predicted conscious access. These findings support the hypothesis that AIC regulates brain network transitions that gate conscious access.
NeuroImage
June 1, 2023
Rui Dai, Tony E Larkin, Zirui Huang et al.
49 citations
Three different psychedelics—nitrous oxide, ketamine, and lysergic acid diethylamide—produce a common pattern of brain network changes despite having distinct molecular mechanisms and delivery methods. Each drug reduced connectivity within brain networks and enhanced connectivity between networks. Specifically, all three increased connections between the right temporoparietal junction and bilateral intraparietal sulcus, and between the precuneus and left intraparietal sulcus. These regions lie within the posterior cortical "hot zone," an area thought to mediate the qualitative aspects of experience. The findings identify a biologically plausible candidate for the subjective effects of both classical and non-classical psychedelics.
Commun Biol
December 19, 2023
Rui Dai, Zirui Huang, Tony E. Larkin et al.
7 citations
At concentrations that produce psychedelic effects, nitrous oxide reduces the functional differentiation—the distinctness of activity patterns—within frontoparietal and somatomotor cortical networks. This suggests that the gas alters brain network organization, potentially contributing to its consciousness-altering properties. The finding points to a neural mechanism underlying the non-ordinary state induced by nitrous oxide, involving reduced specialization of key brain regions.