Poster No:
1811
Submission Type:
Abstract Submission
Authors:
Zirui Huang1, Vijay Tarnal1, Panagiotis Fotiadis1, Phillip Vlisides1, Ellen Janke1, Michael Puglia1, Amy McKinney1, Hyunwoo Jang2, Rui Dai1, Paul Picton1, George Mashour1, Anthony Hudetz1
Institutions:
1Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, 2University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
First Author:
Zirui Huang
Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan Medical School
Ann Arbor, MI
Co-Author(s):
Vijay Tarnal
Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan Medical School
Ann Arbor, MI
Panagiotis Fotiadis
Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan Medical School
Ann Arbor, MI
Phillip Vlisides
Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan Medical School
Ann Arbor, MI
Ellen Janke
Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan Medical School
Ann Arbor, MI
Michael Puglia
Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan Medical School
Ann Arbor, MI
Amy McKinney
Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan Medical School
Ann Arbor, MI
Rui Dai
Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan Medical School
Ann Arbor, MI
Paul Picton
Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan Medical School
Ann Arbor, MI
George Mashour
Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan Medical School
Ann Arbor, MI
Anthony Hudetz
Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan Medical School
Ann Arbor, MI
Introduction:
Anesthesia, a cornerstone of modern medicine, has not only revolutionized surgical practice but also provided a unique window into the neural correlates of consciousness (Mashour and Hudetz, 2018; Mashour, 2024). fMRI studies have shown "preserved sensory connectivity but disrupted association connectivity" under anesthesia (Boveroux et al., 2010; Palanca et al., 2015; Bonhomme et al., 2016), suggesting that unconsciousness arises from impaired integration of information between higher-order brain regions, despite intact basic sensory processing. However, traditional fMRI paradigms in anesthesia research cannot directly assess covert awareness. To overcome this limitation, we employed mental imagery tasks during graded propofol sedation in healthy volunteers. This approach, informed by studies of covert consciousness in patients with neurological impairments (Owen et al., 2006; Monti et al., 2010), allows us to probe information processing and dissect the neural networks supporting consciousness by leveraging the controllable nature of anesthesia.
Methods:
This study (NIH grant R01-GM103894, University of Michigan IRB approval) collected fMRI data from 26 healthy volunteers (ages 19-34, 13 women) from May 2017 to July 2019. Participants performed mental imagery tasks (tennis, navigation, hand squeeze) and a motor response task (actual hand squeeze) under graded levels of propofol sedation. A pseudo-randomized block design was used, with 15-second periods of imagery alternating with 15-second rest periods. Behavioral responses (hand squeeze force) were measured during the motor task to assess responsiveness levels. Loss of responsiveness and recovery of responsiveness were determined based on the timing of motor responses. fMRI data were acquired using a 3T Philips scanner with a 32-channel head coil (EPI scan, 28 slices, TR/TE = 800/25 ms by multiband acquisition, 4 mm slice thickness, FOV = 220 mm, flip angle = 76°, and 64 x 64 image matrix). Scanning protocols included resting-state scans (10 minutes at the beginning and end of the session) and task-based fMRI runs before, during, and after propofol infusion (15-minute baseline, 30-minute sedation, 30-minute recovery, 15-minute baseline). Detailed protocols have been previously published (Huang et al., 2021a).
Results:
The dataset reveals distinct patterns of brain activity associated with mental imagery across varying sedation levels. Previous analyses identified one participant exhibiting fMRI signatures of volitional mental imagery while behaviorally unresponsive (Huang et al., 2018). Further studies using this dataset have explored the role of the anterior insula in gating conscious access (Huang et al., 2021a) and asymmetric neural dynamics during loss and recovery of consciousness (Huang et al., 2021b). The quality of the fMRI data was validated by assessing framewise displacement, temporal signal-to-noise ratio, and foreground-background energy ratio to ensure data integrity.
Conclusions:
This open fMRI dataset, to be released in 2025 via OpenNeuro in BIDS format, will be the first of its kind. It provides a valuable resource for investigating the neural mechanisms of anesthesia and consciousness, enabling researchers to explore the complex interplay between brain activity, behavior, and consciousness, with potential implications for understanding and diagnosing disorders of consciousness.
Neuroinformatics and Data Sharing:
Databasing and Data Sharing 1
Perception, Attention and Motor Behavior:
Consciousness and Awareness 2
Keywords:
Cognition
Consciousness
FUNCTIONAL MRI
Open Data
Perception
1|2Indicates the priority used for review
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Please indicate below if your study was a "resting state" or "task-activation” study.
Resting state
Task-activation
Healthy subjects only or patients (note that patient studies may also involve healthy subjects):
Healthy subjects
Was this research conducted in the United States?
Yes
Are you Internal Review Board (IRB) certified?
Please note: Failure to have IRB, if applicable will lead to automatic rejection of abstract.
Yes, I have IRB or AUCC approval
Were any human subjects research approved by the relevant Institutional Review Board or ethics panel?
NOTE: Any human subjects studies without IRB approval will be automatically rejected.
Yes
Were any animal research approved by the relevant IACUC or other animal research panel?
NOTE: Any animal studies without IACUC approval will be automatically rejected.
Not applicable
Please indicate which methods were used in your research:
Functional MRI
Structural MRI
Behavior
For human MRI, what field strength scanner do you use?
3.0T
Which processing packages did you use for your study?
AFNI
Provide references using APA citation style.
1. Bonhomme, V., et al., & Laureys, S. (2016). Resting-state network-specific breakdown of functional connectivity during ketamine alteration of consciousness in volunteers. Anesthesiology, 125(5), 873–888.
2. Boveroux, P., Vanhaudenhuyse, A., Bruno, M. A., Noirhomme, Q., Lauwick, S., Luxen, A., Degueldre, C., Plenevaux, A., Schnakers, C., Phillips, C., Brichant, J. F., Bonhomme, V., Maquet, P., Greicius, M. D., Laureys, S., & Boly, M. (2010). Breakdown of within- and between-network resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging connectivity during propofol-induced loss of consciousness. Anesthesiology, 113(5), 1038–1053.
3. Huang, Z., Tarnal, V., Vlisides, P. E., Janke, E. L., McKinney, A. M., Picton, P., Mashour, G. A., & Hudetz, A. G. (2021a). Anterior insula regulates brain network transitions that gate conscious access. Cell Reports, 35(5), Article 109081.
4. Huang, Z., Tarnal, V., Vlisides, P. E., Janke, E. L., McKinney, A. M., Picton, P., Mashour, G. A., & Hudetz, A. G. (2021b). Asymmetric neural dynamics characterize loss and recovery of consciousness. NeuroImage, 236, Article 118042.
5. Huang, Z., Vlisides, P. E., Tarnal, V. C., Janke, E. L., Keefe, K. M., Collins, M. M., McKinney, A. M., Picton, P., Harris, R. E., Mashour, G. A., & Hudetz, A. G. (2018). Brain imaging reveals covert consciousness during behavioral unresponsiveness induced by propofol. Scientific Reports, 8(1), Article 13195.
6. Mashour, G. A. (2024). Anesthesia and the neurobiology of consciousness. Neuron, 112(10), 1553–1567.
7. Mashour, G. A., & Hudetz, A. G. (2018). Neural correlates of unconsciousness in large-scale brain networks. Trends in Neurosciences, 41(3), 150–160.
8. Monti, M. M., Vanhaudenhuyse, A., Coleman, M. R., Boly, M., Pickard, J. D., Tshibanda, L., Owen, A. M., & Laureys, S. (2010). Willful modulation of brain activity in disorders of consciousness. The New England Journal of Medicine, 362(7), 579–589.
9. Owen, A. M., Coleman, M. R., Boly, M., Davis, M. H., Laureys, S., & Pickard, J. D. (2006). Detecting awareness in the vegetative state. Science, 313(5792), 1402.
10. Palanca, B. J., Mitra, A., Larson-Prior, L., Snyder, A. Z., Avidan, M. S., & Raichle, M. E. (2015). Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging correlates of sevoflurane-induced unconsciousness. Anesthesiology, 123(2), 346–356.
No