Summary
Thousands of brain-damaged people who are treated as if they are almost completely unaware may in fact hear and register what is going on around them but be unable to respond, a new brain imaging study suggests.
The findings, if repeated in follow-up experiments, could have sweeping implications for determining the best care for these patients. Some experts said the study, which appeared Monday in the journal Neurology, could also have consequences for legal cases, when parties dispute the mental state of a patient who is unresponsive.See the full content of this document
Extract
Brain-Damaged People May Be Aware
The research showed that brain-imaging technology could be a powerful tool to help doctors and family members determine whether a person had lost all awareness or was still somewhat mentally engaged, experts said.
"This study gave me goose bumps, because it shows this possibility of th...See the full content of this document
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