The Effects of Different Anesthetics on the Brain's Neural Networks

June 8, 2026 updated by: Jun Zhang, Fudan University

Propofol, Dexmedetomidine, and Esketamine-Induced Unresponsive States: Alterations in Information Integration and Brain Networks

This study aims to analyze the electroencephalographic power spectrum and connectivity during unresponsive states induced by propofol, esketamine and dexmedetomidine, respectively. It intends to explore the macro neural mechanisms underlying anesthetic unresponsiveness, so as to further elucidate the mechanisms by which anesthetics induce loss and recovery of consciousness. In addition, this study will identify neural biomarkers under general anesthesia for monitoring patients' actual intraoperative consciousness status. The findings will facilitate the development of monitoring indicators and devices reflecting intraoperative consciousness during general anesthesia, enabling more accurate assessment of patients' intraoperative consciousness status.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
120

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 4

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • China
    • Shanghai Municipality
      • Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, China, 200032
        • Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients scheduled for elective non-cardiac surgery;
  • American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status classification I-II;
  • Aged 18 to 65 years, regardless of gender;
  • Body mass index (BMI) greater than 18 kg/m² and no more than 31 kg/m²;
  • Written informed consent voluntarily signed by the patient or legal authorized representative for participation in this study.

Exclusion Criteria:

Subjects meeting any one of the following items will be excluded from this study:

  • Presence of severe cardiovascular diseases or hepatic and renal insufficiency;
  • Hearing impairment;
  • History of psychiatric disorders or communication disorders;
  • Anticipated difficult airway;
  • Pregnant or lactating women;
  • History of allergic reaction or contraindication to any of the three anesthetic drugs used in this trial;
  • Participation in other clinical trials within the past 3 months.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Diagnostic
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: propofol group
All patients in this arm receive Propofol at a concentration of 10 mg/mL, administered via infusion at a dose of 1 mg/kg and completed within 5 minutes.
Drug: propofol
All patients in this arm receive Propofol at a concentration of 10 mg/mL, administered via infusion at a dose of 1 mg/kg and completed within 5 minutes.
Experimental: Dexmedetomidine group
All subjects in this arm receive Dexmedetomidine with a prepared concentration of 10 μg/mL. A loading dose of 1.0 μg/kg is administered by infusion and completed within 10 minutes.
Drug: Dexmeditomidine
All subjects in this arm receive Dexmedetomidine with a prepared concentration of 10 μg/mL. A loading dose of 1.0 μg/kg is administered by infusion and completed within 10 minutes.
Experimental: Esketamine group
All subjects in this arm are given Esketamine at a prepared concentration of 5 mg/mL, infused at a dose of 0.5 mg/kg and completed within 10 minutes.
Drug: Esketamine
All subjects in this arm are given Esketamine at a prepared concentration of 5 mg/mL, infused at a dose of 0.5 mg/kg and completed within 10 minutes.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Permutation cross mutual information (PCMI) and PCMI-based brain networks
Time Frame: From baseline (awake) through loss of responsiveness to recovery of responsiveness
EEG power spectrum [broadband (0.1-45 Hz) and sub-band frequencies] assessed by high-density EEG
From baseline (awake) through loss of responsiveness to recovery of responsiveness
EEG functional connectivity
Time Frame: From baseline (awake) through loss of responsiveness to recovery of responsiveness
EEG functional connectivity assessed by high-density EEG
From baseline (awake) through loss of responsiveness to recovery of responsiveness

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Blood pressure
Time Frame: Perioperative
Perioperative
heart rate
Time Frame: Perioperative
Perioperative
Oxygen Saturation
Time Frame: Perioperative
Perioperative
Time to loss of responsiveness after study drug initiation
Time Frame: From start of study drug infusion until loss of responsiveness
From start of study drug infusion until loss of responsiveness

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Fudan University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
June 9, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
August 31, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
September 10, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
May 14, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 8, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
June 12, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
June 12, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 8, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 2026-203-5055

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

De-identified individual participant data including demographic characteristics, baseline clinical information, perioperative vital sign data, anesthesia induction and recovery related data, EEG analysis results, and adverse event records will be shared.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

Available starting from 1 year after study completion, and will be kept available for at least 5 years thereafter.

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

Only qualified researchers conducting independent academic research may access the de-identified IPD and supporting study documents, including study protocol, statistical analysis plan, and clinical research raw data. Access can be requested by submitting a formal research application to the corresponding author via official email, and access will be granted after formal review and approval.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP
  • ICF
  • CSR

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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