In a recent study, researchers discovered that one patient who was in a vegetative state was able to identify and respond to specific words.
In a recent study, researchers discovered that one patient who was in a vegetative state was able to identify and respond to specific words.
There were a total of 29 subjects involved in the experiment. 21 of them were patients and 8 were volunteers in perfect health.
Among the patients, all had been diagnosed as being either vegetative or minimally conscious.
All of them had their brains scanned for activity during the exercise, which involved listening to strings of words and identifying particular ones by counting how many times they repeated.
The words fired at a rate of 1 per second for 90 seconds over the duration of 30 minutes.
Much to everyone’s surprise, one of the vegetative patients’ brain scan results were so similar to those of the healthy participants that they couldn’t be told apart.
While three other patients showed some level of response, it was determined that their reactions were likely involuntary.
Still, the doctors are hopeful that they’ve found workable evidence that individuals in compromised states of consciousness can focus their attention on specific sounds.
Their ultimate goal is to develop better communication methods for comatose patients, making it possible for them to express themselves to the outside world.
In a recent study, researchers discovered that one patient who was in a vegetative state was able to identify and respond to specific words.
There were a total of 29 subjects involved in the experiment. 21 of them were patients and 8 were volunteers in perfect health.
Among the patients, all had been diagnosed as being either vegetative or minimally conscious.
All of them had their brains scanned for activity during the exercise, which involved listening to strings of words and identifying particular ones by counting how many times they repeated.
The words fired at a rate of 1 per second for 90 seconds over the duration of 30 minutes.
Much to everyone’s surprise, one of the vegetative patients’ brain scan results were so similar to those of the healthy participants that they couldn’t be told apart.
While three other patients showed some level of response, it was determined that their reactions were likely involuntary.
Still, the doctors are hopeful that they’ve found workable evidence that individuals in compromised states of consciousness can focus their attention on specific sounds.
Their ultimate goal is to develop better communication methods for comatose patients, making it possible for them to express themselves to the outside world.
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