Different classes of anesthetics induce unconsciousness despite acting through distinct molecular mechanisms, raising the possibility that their convergent effects arise at the level of the dynamics of neural population activity. To explore this, we analyze intracortical electrophysiological recordings during infusions of propofol, ketamine, and dexmedetomidine, applying a rigorous method to estimate the stability of population dynamics during anesthesia. We find that all three anesthetics, despite their molecular differences, similarly affect cortical states by reducing dynamic stability. The estimated destabilization is corroborated by the slower recovery from sensory perturbations and longer stimulus-induced autocorrelation times observed during the anesthetic infusions. Destabilization is most prevalent in the low-frequency band of the population dynamics, linking it to the well-known increase in low-frequency power during anesthesia. Together, these findings suggest that cortical destabilization may be a shared neural correlate of anesthetic-induced unconsciousness and provide a plausible link to the low-frequency oscillations observed during anesthesia.
Eisen et al. (2026) studied this question.