Nerve stimulation pulls patient out of 15-year vegetative state:

Nerve stimulation pulls patient out of 15-year vegetative state:

Context

• French researchers have restored a significant measure of consciousness to a brain-damaged 35-year-old car accident victim who had spent 15 years in a vegetative state.
• Currently, it is generally believed that if someone is in a vegetative state for more than a year, it’s irreversible.

vagal nerve stimulation [VNS] used by researcher

• Vagal  nerve is a key pathway in brain-body circuitry. It plays a central role in a number of essential functions, including waking and alertness.
• vagus nerve stimulation has long been used as a treatment for both epilepsy and depression,
• After one month of vagal nerve stimulation [VNS], the patient’s attention, movements and brain activity significantly improved,
• brain scans revealed that VNS sparked a notable increase in a particular type of brain rhythm activity (called the “theta EEG signal”) in those regions of the brain long-linked to the control of movement, body sensation and awareness.

Some other related facts

• both coma and vegetative state patients exist in a state of continuous unawareness with respect to both themselves and their surrounding environment.
• By contrast, patients in a minimally conscious state exhibit partial or intermittent awareness of themselves and their surrounding environment, and display an ability to respond to simple instruction
• some patients with disorders of consciousness might benefit from vagus nerve stimulation