Anesthesiology
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Functional connectivity in cortical networks is thought to be important for consciousness and can be disrupted during the anesthetized state. Recent work in adults has revealed dynamic connectivity patterns during stable general anesthesia, but whether similar connectivity state transitions occur in the developing brain remains undetermined. The hypothesis was that anesthetic-induced unconsciousness is associated with disruption of functional connectivity in the developing brain and that, as in adults, there are dynamic shifts in connectivity patterns during the stable maintenance phase of general anesthesia. ⋯ Changes in functional connectivity are associated with anesthetic state transitions but, unlike in adults, connectivity patterns are constrained during general anesthesia in late childhood and early adolescence.