# Three anesthesia drugs all have the same effect in the brain, MIT researchers find

_Friday, July 10, 2026 at 8:00 AM EDT · Science · Latest · Tier 2 — Notable_

![Three anesthesia drugs all have the same effect in the brain, MIT researchers find — Primary](https://news.mit.edu/sites/default/files/images/202603/MIT_Anesthesia-Destabilization-01.jpg)

Three widely used anesthesia drugs all disrupt the brain's balance between stability and excitability in the same way, leading to unconsciousness, according to a study by MIT researchers published today in Cell Reports. The study was led by graduate student Adam Eisen with senior authors Earl Miller, Emery Brown, and Ila Fiete, the researchers said. The team used a computational model to analyze neural activity in animals given propofol, ketamine, or dexmedetomidine while exposed to auditory tones. Although the drugs have different molecular mechanisms, each produced the same destabilization pattern, which the researchers call a universal signature. Miller said the destabilization measure cannot distinguish which drug is being applied. The finding could enable a universal monitoring system that measures brain stability via EEG and automatically adjusts drug dosage. Miller and Brown are developing a prototype device and planning a small clinical trial with Brown University researchers. The work was funded by the U.S. Office of Naval Research, the National Institute of Mental Health, the Simons Center for the Social Brain, the Freedom Together Foundation, the Picower Institute, the National Science Foundation, the Simons Collaboration on the Global Brain, the McGovern Institute, and the National Institutes of Health.

## Sources

- [news.mit.edu](https://news.mit.edu/2026/three-anesthesia-drugs-all-have-same-effect-brain-0317)

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