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Deep-brain stimulation offers hope for minimally conscious patients.
Brain function has been improved in a patient who was in a minimally conscious state, by electrically stimulating a specific brain region with implanted electrodes. The achievement raises questions about the treatment of other patients who have been in this condition for years, the researchers say.
Read the story here.
Posted by Nicola Jones on August 01, 2007
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Am closely involved with 18 year old youth who is currently in a vegetative state due to oxygen deprivation (hanging by the neck)......Is this procedure appropriate?....Mother is obviously looking for miracles.
Posted by: Richard E. White | August 2, 2007 01:51 PM
How does one go about having a patient considered or evaluated to be considered for this research? I have a nephew with closed head TBI in same state as related in the article. He has been cared for at home for the past 10 years.
Posted by: Faith Kendrick | August 2, 2007 04:39 PM
My brother suffered from cardiac arrest in los angelas last saturday,july 21st. he is 41 years young and has been in a coma/semi vegatative state for the last 12 days. He is not responding to commands, however we have had some purposeful movement, but few and far between. We are getting zero positive feedback from doctors, as they are sure this will never get better. he is not brain dead, but suffered from hypoxia. can we get involved in the study at any time? I was assuming since the injury is so young we may have some hope as it relates to your treatment. thank you desperatly, Vince
Posted by: Vince Ciffa | August 2, 2007 10:18 PM
I have a friend who is 39 years, and she is with a minimus conscious state as related in the article. We are trying to help her. I-d like to contact you to see the posibilities to realize the operation. Please, answer me!! Thanks.
Posted by: nancy sanabria | August 2, 2007 11:36 PM
My husband has been in vegatative state for year and half. Had brain surgery to remove blood clots.Does move some and look around. Do you think you can help us? Thank Tou
Posted by: Brenda Smith | August 4, 2007 11:34 PM
My wife had a brain anyurism & is in a simialar state. She understands & does respond to questions sometimes by nodding her head yes or no & has slight movement on her right side. She is on a feeding tube & has a trach, but is able to breath without any oxygen. Do you think this deep brain stimualation may be a help to her & who would I have to contact. Thank you
Posted by: John Gallina | August 6, 2007 03:29 PM
My 30 year old son was brain-injured when his police car was rear-ended in March 2005. According to the description of this article, my son is about in the same state. He was treated at Craig Hospital in Colorado and is now in Austin at Texas Neuro Rehabilitation Center. How do people qualify for participation in the research projects? He was a college graduate with two small children aged 4 and 6 that we are now raising. We are willing to try anything.
Caroline Simmons Quanah, Texas
Posted by: Caroline Simmons | August 10, 2007 03:41 AM
Here are my views on DBS...
I am worried about this technology, although a bit happy with the current results towards improving patient's state.
1. For sure, the brain does not communicate through random pulses or spikes. There is certainly some code in the signals that it communicates. But,with DBS, we do not have any idea what information we are sending into the wet ware. The trick that DBS uses is trial and error (similar to a biologist approach to radio- a funny article published some time back).
Interfacing with brain is not just injecting some current pulses into it. But since we are in not rich at knowledge discovery of brain and its information processing. We should appreciate and respect the code that brain has in its spikes, and accordingly the DBS pulses should speak to the neurons and surrounding media in of the electrode.
2. We fantasize, may be it is a fact, we are changing the subject's personality by injecting random pulses. Taping or tickling with the circuit that codes 'self' is not a good thing for peaceful future. (I remember reading a nature article on curing depression with DBS, and the stimulation is in Cingulate cortex, which has role in cognition).
3. In any case, DBS, unlike, heart-pacemaker, has to be done, for patients, who does not have any other solution for better life.
Does it make any sense?
Posted by: Gangadhar | August 13, 2007 08:30 PM
Here are my views on DBS...
I am worried about this technology, although a bit happy with the current results towards improving patient's state.
1. For sure, the brain does not communicate through random pulses or spikes. There is certainly some code in the signals that it communicates. But,with DBS, we do not have any idea what information we are sending into the wet ware. The trick that DBS uses is trial and error (similar to a biologist approach to radio- a funny article published some time back).
Interfacing with brain is not just injecting some current pulses into it. But since we are in not rich at knowledge discovery of brain and its information processing. We should appreciate and respect the code that brain has in its spikes, and accordingly the DBS pulses should speak to the neurons and surrounding media in of the electrode.
2. We fantasize, may be it is a fact, we are changing the subject's personality by injecting random pulses. Taping or tickling with the circuit that codes 'self' is not a good thing for peaceful future. (I remember reading a nature article on curing depression with DBS, and the stimulation is in Cingulate cortex, which has role in cognition).
3. In any case, DBS, unlike, heart-pacemaker, has to be done, for patients, who does not have any other solution for better life.
Does it make any sense?
Posted by: Gangadhar | August 13, 2007 09:12 PM
Thse are the encouraging news which of course will rise a lot of experimental projects. Our lab (Moscow University, Biology faculty) keeps the audiogenic-epileptic rats which could also be used for such research - they have serious brain circulation disturbances
Posted by: Inga I.Poletaeva | August 14, 2007 10:06 AM
My 40 year old daughter has been in the same state as your article has described for nearly 2 years. She has been diagnosed with ADEM.
How does one qualify to participate in your research project? How do we contact you? We are seeking anything that can help her, her husband and two children 2 & 4 years old. Thank you, Please respond.
Posted by: Victoria Williams | August 17, 2007 01:40 AM