The neural correlates of arousal: Ventral posterolateral nucleus-global transient co-activation

Junrong Han; Qiuyou Xie; Xuehai Wu; Zirui Huang; Sean Tanabe; Stuart Fogel; Anthony G. Hudetz; Hang Wu; Georg Northoff; Ying Mao; Sheng He; Pengmin Qin

Cell Reports (Jan 2024)

The neural correlates of arousal: Ventral posterolateral nucleus-global transient co-activation

Junrong Han,
Qiuyou Xie,
Xuehai Wu,
Zirui Huang,
Sean Tanabe,
Stuart Fogel,
Anthony G. Hudetz,
Hang Wu,
Georg Northoff,
Ying Mao,
Sheng He,
Pengmin Qin

Affiliations

Junrong Han: Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, Institute for Brain Research and Rehabilitation, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
Qiuyou Xie: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510280, Guangdong, China; Joint Research Centre for Disorders of Consciousness, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
Xuehai Wu: Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
Zirui Huang: Department of Anesthesiology, Center for Consciousness Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Sean Tanabe: Department of Anesthesiology, Center for Consciousness Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Stuart Fogel: School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Anthony G. Hudetz: Department of Anesthesiology, Center for Consciousness Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Hang Wu: Center for Studies of Psychological Application, School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, Guangdong, China
Georg Northoff: Institute of Mental Health Research, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada; Mental Health Centre, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
Ying Mao: Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Corresponding author
Sheng He: State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Corresponding author
Pengmin Qin: Center for Studies of Psychological Application, School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, Guangdong, China; Pazhou Lab, Guangzhou 510335, China; Corresponding author

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 43, no. 1
p. 113633

Abstract

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Summary: Arousal and awareness are two components of consciousness whose neural mechanisms remain unclear. Spontaneous peaks of global (brain-wide) blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) signal have been found to be sensitive to changes in arousal. By contrasting BOLD signals at different arousal levels, we find decreased activation of the ventral posterolateral nucleus (VPL) during transient peaks in the global signal in low arousal and awareness states (non-rapid eye movement sleep and anesthesia) compared to wakefulness and in eyes-closed compared to eyes-open conditions in healthy awake individuals. Intriguingly, VPL-global co-activation remains high in patients with unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (UWS), who exhibit high arousal without awareness, while it reduces in rapid eye movement sleep, a state characterized by low arousal but high awareness. Furthermore, lower co-activation is found in individuals during N3 sleep compared to patients with UWS. These results demonstrate that co-activation of VPL and global activity is critical to arousal but not to awareness.

CP: Neuroscience

Published in Cell Reports

ISSN: 2211-1247 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: Netherlands
LCC subjects: Science: Biology (General)
Website: http://www.cell.com/cell-reports/home

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