Detecting Awareness in the Vegetative State
Science September 7, 2006 Adrian M. Owen, Martin R. Coleman, Melanie Boly et al. 1,974 citations
A patient who met the clinical criteria for a vegetative state showed brain activity indistinguishable from healthy volunteers when asked to imagine playing tennis or moving around her home. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, the patient activated the same predicted cortical areas as conscious individuals, indicating preserved conscious awareness despite appearing unresponsive. This finding suggests that some patients diagnosed as vegetative may retain covert consciousness that standard behavioral assessments cannot detect.