Can the brain be shifted into a different state using a simple social cue, as tests on highly hypnotizable subjects would suggest? Demonstrating an altered global brain state is difficult. Brain activation varies greatly during wakefulness and can be voluntarily influenced. We measured the complexity of electrophysiological response to transcranial magnetic stimulation in one ‘hypnotic virtuoso’. Such a measure produces a response arguably outside the subject’s voluntary control and has been proven adequate for discriminating conscious from unconscious brain states. We show that a single-word hypnotic induction robustly shifted global neural connectivity into a state where activity remained sustained but failed to ignite strong, coherent activity in frontoparietal cortices. Changes in perturbational complexity indicate a similar move towards a more segregated state. We interpret these findings to suggest a shift in the underlying state of the brain, likely moderating subsequent hypnotic responding.

中文翻译：

---

催眠期间分离的大脑状态

正如对高度催眠对象的测试所表明的那样，可以使用简单的社交暗示将大脑转变为不同的状态吗？展示改变的整体大脑状态是很困难的。清醒时大脑的激活变化很大，并且可以自愿受到影响。我们测量了一位“催眠大师”对经颅磁刺激的电生理反应的复杂性。这种措施产生的反应可以说超出了受试者的自愿控制范围，并且已被证明足以区分有意识和无意识的大脑状态。我们表明，单词催眠诱导可以将全局神经连接有力地转变为一种活动保持持续但未能激发额顶叶皮质强烈、连贯活动的状态。扰动复杂性的变化表明类似的向更加隔离状态的转变。我们将这些发现解释为大脑的潜在状态发生了变化，可能会调节随后的催眠反应。