An interhemispheric frontoparietal network supports hypnotic states
October 11, 2023 Maria Niedernhuber, Aninka Charlotte Schroeder, Céline Lercher et al. preprint
Hypnosis alters information processing in the brain's frontoparietal regions, particularly by reducing interhemispheric connectivity and the efficiency of information passing through individual cortical nodes. In a study of 30 hypnosis experts, high-density EEG was recorded during two hypnotic states of different depth—Somnambulism (light) and Esdaile (deep)—and two well-matched control states. Interhemispheric frontoparietal connectivity distinguished hypnosis from control conditions, but no difference was found between the two hypnotic states. Theta power was enhanced during hypnosis. The findings support the idea that altered top-down control in frontoparietal regions facilitates hypnosis by integrating information between cortical hemispheres.