Researchers create computer model that simulates anesthesia's impact on brain

(Phys.org)--A team of researchers working at the University of Pittsburgh has created a computer model that simulates in some interesting ways, the process that occurs when anesthesia causes the human brain to essentially shut down. In their paper published in Physical Review Letters, the team describes how they built their model, which aspects of consciousness it represents and the ways in which it mimics human anatomy.