Molecular targets and thalamic-cortical sleep-wake circuitry in anaesthetic induced loss of consciousness

Background The mechanisms of general anesthetics, an extremely diverse group of drugs, cause reversible loss of consciousness have been a long-standing mystery. Gradually, a relatively small numbers of important molecular targets have emerged, and how these drugs act on these target molecules is becoming clear. However, despite all progresses that had been made, we still lack a clear and comprehensive insight into the specific neurophysiological mechanism of anesthetic induced loss of consciousness. Objective This review will focus on the most recent advances regarding molecular targets and thalamic-cortical sleep-wake circuitry in anesthetic-induced loss of consciousness. Content Different general anesthetics can have effects at various points in the sleep-wake circuitry. The thalamus is important for the sleep-wake circuit. Anesthetic effect on unconsciousness is relatively decrease of thalamic activity. Also changes in thalamic-cortical network interactions appear as important component of the neural correlate of unconsciousness. Trend The progress in molecular targets and thalamic-cortical sleep-wake circuitry in anesthetic induced loss of consciousness will be helpful to develop new and safe effective anesthetics. Key words: Anesthesia, general; Thalamus; Cerebral cortex; Sleep-wake circuitry; Molecular targets; Loss of consciousness