Posted on 10/17/2014 1:23:47 PM PDT by Scoutmaster
There’s been a lot of interest lately into how much patients in vegetative states, such as comas, are aware of their surroundings. Recently, research involving functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning has shown that even patients who are unable to respond or move are able to carry out mental tasks, such as imagining playing a game of tennis.
Now the team of scientists have used high-density electroencephalographs (EEG) and mathematics known as “graph theory” to study the networks of activity in the brains of 32 patients who have been diagnosed as being in a vegetative state.
They also compared these EEG scans to the scans of health adults. Their fundings reveal that the interconnected networks that support awareness in the healthy brain are usually - but, importantly, not always - impaired in patients in a vegetative state.
Amazingly, the research showed that some of these “vegetative patients” have well-preseved consciousness networks that look similar to those of healthy adults - and these are the same patients who had been able to imagine playing tennis in the previous study.
"Understanding how consciousness arises from the interactions between networks of brain regions is an elusive but fascinating scientific question,” said Srivas Chennu from the Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Cambridge in a press release.
“But for patients diagnosed as vegetative and minimally conscious, and their families, this is far more than just an academic question – it takes on a very real significance. Our research could improve clinical assessment and help identify patients who might be covertly aware despite being uncommunicative," he added.
This is a huge breakthrough, as it will help scientists develop a relatively simple way of identifying “vegetative” patients who might still be aware.
And unlike the tennis test, which was quite a difficult task that required expensive and often unavailable fMRI scanners, this new technique uses simple EEG technology and could be administered at a patient’s bedside. Of course, the tennis test provides stronger evidence that the patients can follow commands using their thoughts. And in the future, the researchers believe that by combining these tests they could accurately predict whether a vegetative person is aware.
“Although there are limitations to how predictive our test would be used in isolation, combined with other tests it could help in the clinical assessment of patients. If a patient's 'awareness' networks are intact, then we know that they are likely to be aware of what is going on around them,” said Tristan Bekinschtein, also from the University of Cambridge, in the release.
“But unfortunately, they also suggest that vegetative patients with severely impaired networks at rest are unlikely to show any signs of consciousness."
The results are published in PLOS Computational Biology.
These images show brain networks in two behaviourally similar vegetative patients (left and middle), but the one in the middle passed the "tennis test". This patient's consciousness network is similar to that of a healthy adult (right).
If the research is correct, physicians may determine which patients in comas or unresponsive vegetative states are minimally conscious. These patients may be aware of their surroundings to some extent.
I haven't decided whether it would be a curse or a blessing to know that a loved one in a vegetative state is aware of his or her surroundings. I think it would be both.
Joe Biden proved this..
The Euthanasia People will not like this News.
Fascinating.
“I haven’t decided whether it would be a curse or a blessing to know that a loved one in a vegetative state is aware of his or her surroundings. I think it would be both.”
Only a curse for Mike Schiavo and a surprising number of alleged Freepers here, who were absolutely against either “supportive” Bush brother stepping in to save Mrs. Schiavo from being murdered.
Can someone here explain exactly what that pic is showing? Is the ‘mokawk” an electrical field outside the head?
Grrr...”Mohawk”
So let me get this straight.
Before they found this, they knew for certain that people were dead when they had no apparent brain activity.
Now they've discovered this, they know that was wrong.
So now they'll run with this.
And then they'll find something else that proves this wasn't the definitive proof they thought it was either.
And then that new finding will be the definitive proof until the next discovery.
Another-words, they are quite likely still clueless.
Now, this just highlights an even more important question. If they have just now discovered this “hidden” activity, how do they know there is not some other form of “hidden” activity yet to be discovered in other patients that appear to be truly vegetative?
That fact is that they can’t know that one way or the other. Yet, they will happily end the lives of those patients anyway.
This is a significant step forward in brain science but consciousness does not arise from brain activity.
Still hard to read exactly whats happening there. Basically I’m wondering if the electrodes are causing the activity to be externalized and the scan is reflecting that (I’m picturing it as ‘broadcasting’ the electronic activity like an antenna so it cam be ‘seen’) or do our brains actually project a readable electric field that far out on their own.
I know it extends a bit outside the skull but that seems like a serious distance. If it does, there is serious potential there.
LOLMAO; best laugh of the day!
I have a simple test. If you offer me several Hershey bars, a free romp in the sack with the Playmate of the Year, a Hellcat-equipped Dodge Challenger for $10 a month and an afternoon in an Apache Helicopter with unlimited ammo to shoot, and I appear not to be interested in any of them, THEN I’M DEAD.
Hooboy. For that list I might just come back. ;-)
how can one be aware while dead?
The Euthanasia People will not like this News.
Yea but they got Ebola to be happy about right now
Before they found this, they knew for certain that people were dead when they had no apparent brain activity. Now they've discovered this, they know that was wrong.
No. Nothing of the sort. This article has nothing to do with patients who have no brain activity or, in your words, 'had no apparent brain activity.' Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Zip.
Patients in a persistent vegetative state have brain activity; they're not declared brain-dead because they have brain activity. The patients in this study all had brain activity and were never declared brain-dead.
All of the patients were determined to be in a persistent vegetative state.
The study showed that some patients in a persistent vegetative state have some awareness of their surroundings but cannot respond. Although in a persistent vegetative state, some patients showed EEGs similar to a conscious person in response to a statement such as "there is sugar in the coffee." Some did not.
At the end of the day, all of the patients in a persistent vegetative state remained in a persistent vegetative state. None of them were brain-dead to begin with, and none of them were brain-dead at the end of the study.
Oh, come on, Bert! Be imaginative, don't think in the box so much.
After all, we all understand perfectly well that you can't catch Ebola while sitting next to someone on the bus, but that people who've had contact with Ebola patients shouldn't ride the bus because they might give it to someone.
After that one, being aware while dead is a snap.
Perhaps your inability to understand this - your "unawareness" if you will, is indicative of the fact that you are not dead, i.e. you are alive. :>) If so, don't worry, Resident Obola will take care of that soon.
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