Conserved neural dynamics of anesthesia and the oblivion of species

Nature Neuroscience, Published online: 29 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s41593-026-02399-6

General anesthetics seem to work in all living species. This raises the question of whether there are common changes in neural activity that occur during transitions between wakefulness and anesthesia. A landmark study by Luppi and colleagues now reveals a conserved dynamic signature of anesthesia that spans hundreds of millions of years of evolution.