Consciousness lost and found: subjective experiences in an unresponsive state.
Brain and cognition December 1, 2011 Valdas Noreika, Leila Jylhänkangas, Levente Móró et al. 62 citations
Subjective experiences can occur even when a person appears unresponsive under sedation. In a nonsurgical setting, participants given dexmedetomidine, propofol, sevoflurane, or xenon recalled having subjective experiences in almost 60% of sessions after regaining responsiveness. During dexmedetomidine sessions, such experiences were linked to shallower sedation depth as measured by an EEG-based monitor. The findings indicate that unresponsiveness does not guarantee absence of consciousness, and studies on phenomenal consciousness under anesthetics should assess subjective states through post-recovery interviews.