Breakdown of effective information flow in disorders of consciousness: Insights from TMS-EEG

• DOI: 10.1016/j.brs.2024.04.011
• Publication Date: 2024-04-18T02:37:37Z
• Authors: Yang Bai; Li Yang; Xiangqiang Meng; Ying Huang; Qijun Wang; Anjuan Gong; Zhen Feng; Ulf Ziemann
• Keywords: Information flow; Persistent vegetative state

BackgroundThe complexity of the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying human consciousness is widely acknowledged, with information processing and flow originating in cortex conceived as a core mechanism emergence. Combination transcranial magnetic stimulation electroencephalography (TMS-EEG) considered promising technique to understand effective associated consciousness.ObjectivesTo investigate TMS-EEG its relationship different states.MethodsWe applied an analysis by combining time-varying multivariate adaptive autoregressive model directed transfer function on data frontal, motor parietal patients disorder (DOC), including 14 vegetative state/unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (VS/UWS) patients, 21 minimally conscious state (MCS) 22 healthy subjects.ResultsTMS DOC particularly VS/UWS, induced significantly weaker compared subjects. The bidirectional was lost TMS cortex. interactive ROI rate network frontal lower VS/UWS than MCS. correlated clinical scales.ConclusionsTMS-EEG revealed physiologically relevant correlation between TMS-induced levels consciousness. This suggests that breakdown cortical serves viable marker consciousness.SignificanceFindings offer unique perspective relevance DOC, thus providing novel way understanding physiological basis