%0 Journal Article
%T Globus pallidus externus drives increase in network-wide alpha power with propofol-induced loss-of-consciousness in humans.
%A Thum JA
%A Malekmohammadi M
%A Toker D
%A Sparks H
%A Alijanpourotaghsara A
%A Choi JW
%A Hudson AE
%A Monti MM
%A Pouratian N
%J Cereb Cortex
%V 34
%N 6
%D 2024 Jun 4
%M 38850214
%F 4.861
%R 10.1093/cercor/bhae243
%X States of consciousness are likely mediated by multiple parallel yet interacting cortico-subcortical recurrent networks. Although the mesocircuit model has implicated the pallidocortical circuit as one such network, this circuit has not been extensively evaluated to identify network-level electrophysiological changes related to loss of consciousness (LOC). We characterize changes in the mesocircuit in awake versus propofol-induced LOC in humans by directly simultaneously recording from sensorimotor cortices (S1/M1) and globus pallidus interna and externa (GPi/GPe) in 12 patients with Parkinson disease undergoing deep brain stimulator implantation. Propofol-induced LOC is associated with increases in local power up to 20 Hz in GPi, 35 Hz in GPe, and 100 Hz in S1/M1. LOC is likewise marked by increased pallidocortical alpha synchrony across all nodes, with increased alpha/low beta Granger causal (GC) flow from GPe to all other nodes. In contrast, LOC is associated with decreased network-wide beta coupling and beta GC from M1 to the rest of the network. Results implicate an important and possibly central role of GPe in mediating LOC-related increases in alpha power, supporting a significant role of the GPe in modulating cortico-subcortical circuits for consciousness. Simultaneous LOC-related suppression of beta synchrony highlights that distinct oscillatory frequencies act independently, conveying unique network activity.