Differential Effect of Medetomidine on Functional Activation and Connectivity: Electrophysiology Validation

Si Kang Lew¹, Fatima Nasrallah¹, Amanda Low¹, Kai Hsiang Chuang¹

Previous study on medetomidine showed dosage dependent suppression of functional connectivity without changing BOLD activation. We used electrophysiology measurements including somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) and resting electroencephalography (EEG) to understand the underlying neural correlate. The neurovascular coupling was investigated in the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) using forepaw stimulation. The SEP shows similar response under different medetomidine doses and correlated well with BOLD activation. The coherence of resting EEG between the bilateral S1 didnt change except for gamma band. The link between BOLD fluctuation and EEG synchrony has yet to be determined.