A Cambridge University study has indicated that patients who are in vegetative states can still learn despite having no signs of consciousness.The study involved 22 people in a persistent vegetative state, who were tested for Pavlovian-like responses.
The researchers played a sound before puffing air into the eyes of these patients. In some patients, there was a twitch in eye muscles as they anticipated the puff of air after the sound was played.
Coma
Coma is a deep state of unconsciousness where the affected individual is alive but is not able to react or respond to external stimuli. The outcome ranges from full recovery to death.
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"These were classic Pavlovian experiments and some patients, but not all of them, started to respond," said study leader Dr Tristan Bekinschtein from the University of Cambridge. "They were clearly anticipating the stimulus would come, so there is some kind of perception and from the point of view of the patient who is allegedly unconscious this could have profound implications."
The details of the study appear in the latest issue of Nature Neuroscience.
Source: Medindia
RAS
Source: Medindia
RAS
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Head injury or traumatic brain injury is a leading cause of disability among children and young adults that leads to varying degrees of physical and mental stability. Fortunately, it is also one of the preventable brain disorder.
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 MeningitisMeninges are the three layers of membrane that cover the brain and infection of the cerebrospinal fluid between them causes meningitis the disease of the meninges. | Advertisement
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Brain tumors are the abnormal growth of brain cells that may be benign or metastatic. Brain tumors account for about 2.4% of all the tumor diagnosesandare most challenging due to their critically delicate location.
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