Objectives The pathological mechanism for a disorder of consciousness (DoC) is still not fully understood. Based on traditional behavioral scales, there high rate misdiagnosis subtypes DoC. We aimed to explore whether topological characterization may explain the mechanisms DoC and be effective in diagnosing Methods Using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data, weighted brain n...

The differentiation of the vegetative or unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (VS/UWS) from the minimally conscious state (MCS) is an important clinical issue. The cerebral metabolic rate of glucose (CMRglc) declines when consciousness is lost, and may reveal the residual cognitive function of these patients. However, no quantitative comparisons of cerebral glucose metabolism in VS/UWS and MCS hav...

BACKGROUND Over the last two decades, there has been a considerable increase in knowledge of brain function in patients with disorders of consciousness following a coma. Differentiating between patients in unresponsive wakefulness syndrome and in minimally conscious state still represents a major clinical, legal and ethical challenge. OBJECTIVES This review focuses on recent behavioural and n...

We used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to study 2 patients with traumatic brain injury. The first patient recovered reliable expressive language after 19 years in a minimally conscious state (MCS); the second had remained in MCS for 6 years. Comparison of white matter integrity in the patients and 20 normal subjects using histograms of apparent diffusion constants and diffusion anisotropy ident...

The aim of this study was to look for differences in the power spectra and in EEG connectivity measures between patients in the vegetative state (VS/UWS) and patients in the minimally conscious state (MCS). The EEG of 31 patients was recorded and analyzed. Power spectra were obtained using modern multitaper methods. Three connectivity measures (coherence, the imaginary part of coherency and the...

OBJECTIVE To report the clinical and radiologic findings in a case of transient minimally conscious state after rupture and coiling of a giant basilar aneurysm. DESIGN Case report. SETTING Neuroscience intensive care unit. PATIENT A 44-year-old man who developed a transient minimally conscious state in association with perianeurysmal edema in the rostral brainstem and thalamus after ruptu...

BACKGROUND A visual pursuit response is reportedly observed in ~20-30% of subjects in vegetative state (VS/UWS) and predicts better outcome; it is a key marker of evolution into the minimally conscious state (MCS). The probability of observing a positive response, however, has proven variable during the day, with comparable timing of the minima and maxima in VS/UWS and MCS. We verified if measu...