Detecting awareness in the vegetative state
Open accessAbstract
We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to demonstrate preserved conscious awareness in a patient fulfilling the criteria for a diagnosis of vegetative state. When asked to imagine playing tennis or moving around her home, the patient activated predicted cortical areas in a manner indistinguishable from that of healthy volunteers.
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The command-following test has high specificity in humans.
“An example of a C-test with high speci fi city (in humans) is the command-following test [32]”
From Tests for consciousness in humans and beyond (2024) · cites this paper as [32]
The command-following test is assumed to be a reliable indicator of consciousness in many clinical contexts-an embedded assumption in the diagnostic criteria for the minimally conscious state.
“An example of a C-test with high speci fi city (in humans) is the command-following test [32], which is assumed to be a reliable indicator of consciousness in many clinical contexts -an embedded assumption in the diagnostic criteria for the minimally conscious state [52].”
From Tests for consciousness in humans and beyond (2024) · cites this paper as [32]
The sensitivity of the command-following test in patients is presumably lower than its specificity, because there are many reasons why a patient might fail to follow a command despite being conscious.
“For example, the sensitivity (in patients) of the command-following test [32] is presumably lower than its speci fi city, for there are many reasons whyapatient might fail to follow a command despite being conscious (e.g., they fail to hear or comprehend the command).”
From Tests for consciousness in humans and beyond (2024) · cites this paper as [32]
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Residual cerebral activity and behavioural fragments can remain in the persistently vegetative brain
Schiff, N. D., Ribary, U., Moreno, D. R., Beattie, B., Kronberg, E., Blasberg, R., Giacino, J., McCagg, C., Fins, J. J., Llinás, R., et al. (2002) · Brain · doi:10.1093/brain/awf131 · Cited by 306 · see citing works
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Research works printed but not linked: 2
- N. D. Schiff et al., Brain 125, 1210 (2002).
- We thank D. Badwan, T. Bekinschtein, J. Rodd, J. Outtrim, D. Chatfield, D. Menon, I. Johnsrude, V. Lupson, R. Barker, J. Grahn, C. Frith, P. Maquet, the Cambridge Impaired Consciousness Research Group, and the staff of the Wellcome Trust Research Facility for their contributions. Funded by MRC program grant G9439390 ID 56833, the Smiths Charity, the Belgian Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique, and the Mind Science Foundation.
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- Authors
- Owen, A. M., Coleman, M. R., Boly, M., Davis, M. H., Laureys, S., & Pickard, J. D.
- Affiliations
- University of Liège (BE)
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge CB2 2EF, UK.
- Corresponding author
- Owen, Adrian M.
- Venue
- Science
- Published
- 2006-09-08
- Volume
- 313
- Issue
- 5792
- Pages
- 1402-1402
- ISSN
- 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
- 1095-9203
- OpenAlex
- W2127501699
- Cited by
- 1,978
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 69 · 2025: 135 · 2024: 113 · 2023: 86 · 2022: 96 · 2021: 103 · 2020: 93 · 2019: 142 · 2018: 128 · 2017: 70 · 2016: 91 · 2015: 103 · 2014: 106 · 2013: 125 · 2012: 90
- FWCI
- 54.43
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- orbi.uliege.be
- Licence
- other-oa
- Locations
- Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- ORBi (University of Liège) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- DigitalGeorgetown (Georgetown University Library) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Mind Science Foundation
- Medical Research Council
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Traumatic Brain Injury Research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Philosophy and Theoretical Science
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Functional Brain Connectivity Studies
- Keywords
- vegetative state, consciousness, awareness, functional MRI, mental imagery, motor cortex activation, brain-computer interface, minimally conscious state
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Awareness, Brain, Brain Injuries, Brain Mapping, Consciousness, Female, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Neurons, Persistent Vegetative State
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