Table 2.

Relationship between major experimentally identified sites of cortical anesthetic action and parameters of the electrocortical model of Liley et al. (Liley et al., 1999, 2002; Bojak and Liley, 2005).

Site of action	Main anesthetic effect	Parameters
2PK channels and extrasynaptic GABAA	Increase in tonic inhibition	pik, $h_k^r$
nACh receptors	Reduction in tonic excitation	pek, $h_k^r$
Synaptic GABAA	Increase of IPSPs	γik, Γik
AMPA/kainate receptors and NMDA receptors*	Reduction of EPSPs	γek, Γek
Myelinated axons	Slowdown of conduction†	vek
Na channels	Alteration of neuronal firing	$S_k^{max}$, ${\overline{\mu }}_k$, σk

*Parameters will depend on membrane potential in this case.

^†Effect demonstrated in periphery, speculative in cortex (Swindale, 2003).