coma

A severe brain injury can leave patients unresponsive to stimuli, but they may be more aware than we realize. A new study of brain activity has shown that up to a quarter of unresponsive patients may exhibit “hidden consciousness.”

Five years ago, we heard how a team at UCLA had used ultrasound to seemingly "jump start" a patient out of a coma. At the time, the scientists wondered if such results could be repeated. They have now done it two more times.

A landmark study has described a new method to detect signs of consciousness in unresponsive brain-injured patients using a simple EEG scan​. The research also suggests the EEG data can predict which patients have a high chance of regaining consciousness and recovering.

After 15 years in a vegetative state with no signs of consciousness a man is now showing minimal signs of "waking" following the implantation of an experimental nerve stimulation device into his chest.