Are Coma Patients Conscious?

Sophisticated brain scans may allow doctors to detect consciousness in brain-injured patients who appear unconscious. According to a new study that included 16 severe brain injury patients, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG) can help reveal a level of consciousness that can’t be detected by a typical neurological examination. Study author Dr. Brian Edlow adds, “Early detection of consciousness and brain function in the intensive care unit could allow families to make more informed decisions about the care of loved ones… Also, since early recovery of consciousness is associated with better long-term outcomes, these tests could help patients gain access to rehabilitative care once they are discharged from an ICU.” Brain, July 2017