Vicente Medel

2 papers in the library · 1 citation · publishing 2023-2025

Papers

Noradrenaline and acetylcholine shape functional connectivity organization of NREM substages: An empirical and simulation study

PLoS Computational Biology October 28, 2025 Fernando Lehue, Carlos Coronel-Oliveros, Vicente Medel et al. 1 citation

During sleep, brain dynamics shift from wakefulness through NREM stages N1, N2, and N3, driven partly by decreases in the neuromodulators acetylcholine (ACh) and noradrenaline (NA). Analyzing fMRI data from healthy individuals and using a whole-brain model, the study shows that functional connectivity (FC) changes distinctly: locus coeruleus connectivity with the cortex decreases during N2 and N3, while basal forebrain connectivity with the cortex decreases during N3. Compared to wakefulness, the brain becomes more integrated in N1 and more segregated in N3. Region-specific neurotransmitter effects are key to explaining these FC changes, advancing understanding of how neurochemistry modulates sleep stages and consciousness transitions.

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1012852 Wakefulness Basal forebrain Locus coeruleus Acetylcholine +11

Neuronal connected burst cascades bridge macroscale adaptive signatures across arousal states.

Nature Communications October 27, 2023 Brandon R Munn, Eli J Müller, Vicente Medel et al.

A microscale biophysical network model of layer-5 pyramidal neurons reproduces coarse-sampled dynamics seen in macroscale electrophysiological recordings from macaques and humans. By inverting the model, the authors identify spike and burst dynamics that distinguish unconscious, dreaming, and awake arousal states and reveal their functional signatures. Neuromodulatory arousal shifts neuronal dynamics around a low-dimensional energy landscape, altering the model's response to external stimuli. The work demonstrates how multiscale modeling can connect theories of consciousness across spatiotemporal scales.

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42465-2 Full text