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Consciousness Restored to Man After Six Years with Deep Brain Stimulation |
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Friday, 10 August 2007 |
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This is an incredible story of hope reported in
Nature this week which describes how neuroscientists implanted
electrodes in the brain of a 38-year-old man who had been
in a minimally conscious state for more than six years
following a serious assault. By electrically stimulating a brain
region called the central thalamus,
they were able to help him name objects on request, make
precise hand gestures, and chew food without the aid of a feeding
tube. The thalamus is involved in motor control, arousal
and in relaying sensory signals — from the visual systems,
for example — to the cerebral cortex, the part of the brain
involved in consciousness.
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The work challenges the existing practice of early treatment
discontinuation for this patient population and also changes the
approach to assessment and evaluation of the minimally-conscious
state patient," said Dr. Nicholas Schiff, one of the study's
authors. Joseph T. Giacino, Ph.D., of the New Jersey Neursoscience
Institute, in Edison, a co-author, said that "prior to the use
of deep brain stimulation, the patient's communication ability was
inconsistent, including only slight eye or finger movements. Now,
he regularly uses words and gestures and responds to questions
quickly." |
Biofeedback 
