The current issue of Nature has a fascinating study regarding how implanted electrodes helped a minimally-conscious man to regain many cognitive functions lost during a traumatic injury. Patients in a minimally-conscious state only very low and sporadic levels of awareness, and have little chance for recovery past the initial 12 months post-injury.
But a 38-year old man who had been in such a state for over 6 years received deep brain stimulation via electrodes implanted near the central thalamus (see picture below), which is an area involved in relaying sensory signals. During stimulation he was able to name objects, make precise hand gestures, recognize family members, and eat independently.
The authors speculated that while many traumatic brain injuries can damage sensory and arousal areas of the brain, often the frontal cortex is spared. The deep brain stimulation aids the transmission of information from damaged sensory areas to the intact cortex. Who could benefit?
"There will be a subset of patients who are responsive to this approach," says Schiff. But he adds that patients with different brain injuries may not benefit from electrostimulation. "Not every patient in a minimally conscious state will fit this profile," Schiff says, and it is difficult for neurologists to identify those patients who will show recovery
Paper here: Behavioural improvements with thalamic stimulation after severe traumatic brain injury
Comments
"Jump-starting the soul"
Posted by: Tegumai Bopsulai, FCD | August 1, 2007 5:01 PM
Star Trek fans will ask for the wireless version. (Though ST got it backwards; IIRC they clamp on a "cortical stimulator" on their patients.)
Posted by: Torbjörn Larsson, OM | August 1, 2007 8:45 PM
And to think, we all can thank Benjamin Franklin for this. Hopefully we wil be able to figure out how to get the same benefits, someday, without implanting the electrodes. transcranial direct current stimulation may benefit persons with milder conditions. Maybe we can figure out how to do something similar without penetrating the skull.
Posted by: Joseph j7uy5 | August 1, 2007 9:15 PM
Didn't they try a cruder version of this on Terri Schiavo, early on?
Posted by: Brian X | August 4, 2007 9:59 PM