Abstract
Structural or operational synchrony analysis with EEG was conducted in order to detect functional interaction between cortical areas during an enhanced inhibition induced by the GABAergic agonist lorazepam in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, cross-over study in eight healthy human subjects. Specifically, we investigated whether a neuronal inhibitory system in the brain mediates functional decoupling of cortical areas. Single-dose lorazepam administration resulted in a widespread increase in the inter-area functional connectivity and an increase in the strength of functional long-range and interhemispheric connections. These results suggest that inhibition can be an efficient mechanism for synchronization of large neuronal populations.