Propofol-induced loss of responsiveness reorganizes cortical traveling waves in the human brain

Abstract

Consciousness depends on the coordinated propagation of neural activity across cortical networks. Traveling waves, the spatiotemporal patterns of phase-aligned neural activity, are thought to support large-scale cortical communication, yet how these dynamics are altered during general anesthesia remains poorly understood. Here, we examined the effects of propofol on cortical traveling waves recorded with high-density microelectrode arrays in the temporal lobes of two human participants (both men). We identified and characterized changes in neural traveling wave properties as participants underwent general anesthesia. Propofol produced robust, state-dependent reorganization of wave dynamics: increased propagation speed, shifted propagation directions, and altered spectral structure. At the neuronal level, propofol was accompanied by pronounced changes in firing activity and spike-wave relationships, linking mesoscale traveling waves to coordinated changes in neuronal firing dynamics. Together, these findings demonstrate how propofol reshapes the spatiotemporal organization of cortical activity across spatial scales.