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'Vegetative' patient talks using brain waves
A Canadian man who became vegetative after figuring in a car accident 12 years ago has managed to tell doctors he is not in pain —using his brain waves.
Scott Routley, 39, replied to questions from doctors through scans of his brain activity in an fMRI (Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) machine, according to a report on the British Broadcasting Co.
The BBC report said this was the first time an "uncommunicative" and severely brain-injured patient managed to answer questions clinically relevant to them.
"Scott has been able to show he has a conscious, thinking mind. We have scanned him several times and his pattern of brain activity shows he is clearly choosing to answer our questions. We believe he knows who and where he is," said British neuroscientist Prof. Adrian Owen, who led the team at the Brain and Mind Institute, University of Western Ontario.
Owen also said this shows Routley was clearly not vegetative, but added this was a "groundbreaking moment."
"Asking a patient something important to them has been our aim for many years. In future we could ask what we could do to improve their quality of life. It could be simple things like the entertainment we provide or the times of day they are washed and fed," he said.
The BBC report quoted Routley's parents as saying they always thought he was conscious and could communicate by lifting a thumb or moving his eyes, though medical staff did not quite accept this.
Overturning assessments
Prof. Bryan Young at University Hospital, London, who has been Routley's neurologist for a decade, said the scan results overturned all behavioral assessments made over the years.
Owen in 2010 published research showing that nearly one in five of the vegetative patients were able to communicate using brain activity.
"I was impressed and amazed that he was able to show these cognitive responses. He had the clinical picture of a typical vegetative patient and showed no spontaneous movements that looked meaningful," he said.
Young added medical textbooks may need updating to include Owen's techniques.
Another patient
The BBC said another Canadian patient, Steven Graham, was able to show he had laid down new memories since his brain injury.
Graham answers yes when asked whether his sister has a daughter - his niece was born after his car accident five years ago. — TJD, GMA News
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/stor...ce/vegetative-patient-talks-using-brain-waves
A Canadian man who became vegetative after figuring in a car accident 12 years ago has managed to tell doctors he is not in pain —using his brain waves.
Scott Routley, 39, replied to questions from doctors through scans of his brain activity in an fMRI (Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) machine, according to a report on the British Broadcasting Co.
The BBC report said this was the first time an "uncommunicative" and severely brain-injured patient managed to answer questions clinically relevant to them.
"Scott has been able to show he has a conscious, thinking mind. We have scanned him several times and his pattern of brain activity shows he is clearly choosing to answer our questions. We believe he knows who and where he is," said British neuroscientist Prof. Adrian Owen, who led the team at the Brain and Mind Institute, University of Western Ontario.
Owen also said this shows Routley was clearly not vegetative, but added this was a "groundbreaking moment."
"Asking a patient something important to them has been our aim for many years. In future we could ask what we could do to improve their quality of life. It could be simple things like the entertainment we provide or the times of day they are washed and fed," he said.
The BBC report quoted Routley's parents as saying they always thought he was conscious and could communicate by lifting a thumb or moving his eyes, though medical staff did not quite accept this.
Overturning assessments
Prof. Bryan Young at University Hospital, London, who has been Routley's neurologist for a decade, said the scan results overturned all behavioral assessments made over the years.
Owen in 2010 published research showing that nearly one in five of the vegetative patients were able to communicate using brain activity.
"I was impressed and amazed that he was able to show these cognitive responses. He had the clinical picture of a typical vegetative patient and showed no spontaneous movements that looked meaningful," he said.
Young added medical textbooks may need updating to include Owen's techniques.
Another patient
The BBC said another Canadian patient, Steven Graham, was able to show he had laid down new memories since his brain injury.
Graham answers yes when asked whether his sister has a daughter - his niece was born after his car accident five years ago. — TJD, GMA News
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/stor...ce/vegetative-patient-talks-using-brain-waves
