Deep Brain Stimulation Rouses Man In Minimally Conscious State
04 Aug 2007 Nature doi:10.1038/448522a
Written by: Christian Nordqvist
For full article, link to http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/78799.php

A man who could not speak, chew or swallow for six years can now do so after responding to deep brain stimulation . . . In 1999 the man had been beaten up and left for dead while on his way home. His skull was severely crushed and his brain badly damaged. Doctors said that . . .he would spend the rest of his days living like a vegetable. Occasionally, during the last six years, he would show signs of being aware of things - able to move his eyes, and sometimes a thumb.

The family has requested that the patient remains unidentified. You can read a detailed report on this procedure in the journal Nature.

He was selected for a new pioneering type of treatment in which electrodes are place in specific parts of his brain. . . he can now eat without needing to have a feeding tube, he is able to watch a movie without falling asleep, he can drink from a cup, express pain, cry and laugh. . .


The man had not been in a coma, rather he had been in a minimally conscious state. This means he was most probably only aware of himself and his surroundings occasionally. A person who is in a coma shows no signs of being aware of anything. . . Deep brain stimulation has been used with patients suffering from Parkinson's disease. The treatment attempts to activate areas of the brain with millimeter accuracy that deal with survival skills, such as speaking, eating and drinking.

This patient is now able to chew and swallow, he can now mimic the motions of brushing his teeth. His speech is still very limited - he responds to questions with one, two or three word answers. He can now turn his head. He can brush his hair - although with great difficulty, partly because his tendons have not moved for so long.