Scans allow coma victim to communicate
The scans could allow coma patients to answer questions about treatment
Coma patients could be able to communicate using their thoughts, according to a new study conducted at Cambridge University's Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit.
Along with colleagues from the University of Liege in Belgium, the scientists studied the brain activity of 54 patients in a vegetative state using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
The patients were asked to imagine various scenarios such as walking from room to room in their house, and then the researchers monitored their brain activity to see if various parts of the mind were stimulated.
It was found that five of the patients showed some signs of awareness, with the scans showing responses to various verbal instructions.
One man was even able to answer simple yes or no questions using this imagery technique.
Dr Adrian Owen, co-author of the research from the Medical Research Council, said: "We were astonished when we saw the results… Not only did these scans tell us that the patient was not in a vegetative state but, more importantly, for the first time in five years, it provided the patient with a way of communicating his thoughts to the outside world."
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Dr Martin Monti, also from the Medical Research Council, said that the study had important implications as the findings could be used to address important clinical questions to patients who are aware but cannot speak or move.
However, Professor Geraint Rees, director of the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London, told the Daily Telegraph that it would be vital that physicians using this technique took measures to ensure the patient is competent to make decisions.
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