ArticleNeuroImage2021
A comparison of GABA-ergic (propofol) and non-GABA-ergic (dexmedetomidine) sedation on visual and motor cortical oscillations, using magnetoencephalography.
Article in NeuroImage, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 13 citations in OpenAlex.
- Magnetoencephalography in human neuroscience research: planning, piloting, implementation and quality assurance.Nature protocols · 2026Review
- Modulation of Auditory Novelty Processing by Dexmedetomidine and Natural Sleep: A Human Intracranial Electrophysiology Study.The European journal of neuroscience · 2025Article
- GABAergic modulation of beta power enhances motor adaptation in frontotemporal lobar degeneration.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2025Article
- Human motor cortical gamma activity relates to GABAergic intracortical inhibition and motor learning.Imaging neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.) · 2025Article
- Dexmedetomidine combined with propofol improves hemodynamic stability and recovery in elderly patients undergoing thoracoscopic lung cancer resection.American journal of translational research · 2025Article
- Myelin modulates the process of isoflurane anesthesia through the regulation of neural activity.CNS neuroscience & therapeutics · 2024Article
- A mechanistic account of visual discomfort.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2023Article
- Synchrony in auditory 40-Hz gamma oscillations increases in older age and correlates with hearing abilities and cortical GABA levels.Imaging neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.) · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 7 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Studying changes in cortical oscillations can help elucidate the mechanistic link between receptor physiology and the clinical effects of anaesthetic drugs. Propofol, a GABA-ergic drug produces divergent effects on visual cortical activity: increasing induced gamma-band responses (GBR) while decreasing evoked responses. Dexmedetomidine, an α2- adrenergic agonist, differs from GABA-ergic sedatives both mechanistically and clinically as it allows easy arousability from deep sedation with less cognitive side-effects. Here we use magnetoencephalography (MEG) to characterize and compare the effects of GABA-ergic (propofol) and non-GABA-ergic (dexmedetomidine) sedation, on visual and motor cortical oscillations. Sixteen male participants received target-controlled infusions of propofol and dexmedetomidine, producing mild-sedation, in a placebo-controlled, cross-over study. MEG data was collected during a combined visuomotor task. The key findings were that propofol significantly enhanced visual stimulus induced GBR (44% increase in amplitude) while dexmedetomidine decreased it (40%). Propofol also decreased the amplitudes of the Mv100 (visual M100) (27%) and Mv150 (52%) visual evoked fields (VEF), whilst dexmedetomidine had no effect on these. During the motor task, neither drug had any significant effect on movement related gamma synchrony (MRGS), movement related beta de-synchronisation (MRBD) or Mm100 (movement-related M100) movement-related evoked fields (MEF), although dexmedetomidine slowed the Mm300. Dexmedetomidine increased (92%) post-movement beta synchronisation/rebound (PMBR) power while propofol reduced it (70%, statistically non- significant). Overall, dexmedetomidine and propofol, at equi-sedative doses, produce contrasting effects on visual induced GBR, VEF, PMBR and MEF. These findings provide a mechanistic link between the known receptor physiology of these sedative drugs with their known clinical effects and may be used to explore mechanisms of other anaesthetic drugs on human consciousness.
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