Ysobelle
08-02-2007, 11:51 AM
http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/science_technology/electrodes+revive+braindamaged+man/647657
Last Modified: 02 Aug 2007
Source: PA News
Stimulating electrodes have enabled a brain-damaged man to speak again after six years, researchers in the US report.
The 38-year-old man, who could previously communicate only with slight eye or thumb movements, also regained the ability to chew and swallow.
This means he can be spoon-fed instead of being given nourishment through a tube into his stomach.
The man suffered brain injury during an assault and spent six years with only occasional signs of consciousness and no useful movement of his limbs.
In an experiment, researchers implanted electrodes in his brain for a procedure called deep brain stimulation, which is routinely carried out for Parkinson's disease and some other illnesses. They turned the electrodes on and off over six months to test their effect, and report the results in the journal Nature.
The man, who was not identified at the family's request, now has them turned on throughout the day. Experts called the report exciting but cautioned that the approach must be tested in more people before its value can be known. The researchers have already begun a study of additional patients.
Before the electrodes were implanted the man was in what doctors call a "minimally conscious state".
That means he showed only occasional awareness of himself and the environment. In a coma or vegetative state, by contrast, patients show no outward signs of awareness.
The man described in the Nature study speaks in a breathy but audible voice, said Dr Joseph Giacino, a co-lead author. He does not initiate conversations but can reply to others, typically with one to three words, said Giacino, of the JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute in Edison, New Jersey.
The man also recovered some movement. He can demonstrate motions such as brushing his teeth, said study lead author Dr Nicholas Schiff of Weill Cornell Medical College in New York. He cannot actually carry out that task because the tendons in his arms contracted after years of immobility.
These news feeds are provided by an independent third party and Channel 4 is not responsible or liable to you for the same.
Last Modified: 02 Aug 2007
Source: PA News
Stimulating electrodes have enabled a brain-damaged man to speak again after six years, researchers in the US report.
The 38-year-old man, who could previously communicate only with slight eye or thumb movements, also regained the ability to chew and swallow.
This means he can be spoon-fed instead of being given nourishment through a tube into his stomach.
The man suffered brain injury during an assault and spent six years with only occasional signs of consciousness and no useful movement of his limbs.
In an experiment, researchers implanted electrodes in his brain for a procedure called deep brain stimulation, which is routinely carried out for Parkinson's disease and some other illnesses. They turned the electrodes on and off over six months to test their effect, and report the results in the journal Nature.
The man, who was not identified at the family's request, now has them turned on throughout the day. Experts called the report exciting but cautioned that the approach must be tested in more people before its value can be known. The researchers have already begun a study of additional patients.
Before the electrodes were implanted the man was in what doctors call a "minimally conscious state".
That means he showed only occasional awareness of himself and the environment. In a coma or vegetative state, by contrast, patients show no outward signs of awareness.
The man described in the Nature study speaks in a breathy but audible voice, said Dr Joseph Giacino, a co-lead author. He does not initiate conversations but can reply to others, typically with one to three words, said Giacino, of the JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute in Edison, New Jersey.
The man also recovered some movement. He can demonstrate motions such as brushing his teeth, said study lead author Dr Nicholas Schiff of Weill Cornell Medical College in New York. He cannot actually carry out that task because the tendons in his arms contracted after years of immobility.
These news feeds are provided by an independent third party and Channel 4 is not responsible or liable to you for the same.