Patients in Vegetative States Can Learn, Predicting Recovery

Brain-damaged patients who appear to have lost signs of conscious awareness might still be able to create new memories, showing signs of new neural networks and potential for partial recovery.

September 25, 2009 (Scientific American)

In patients who have survived severe brain damage, judging the level of actual awareness has proved a difficult process. And the prognosis can sometimes mean the difference between life and death.

New research suggests that some vegetative patients are capable of simple learning—a sign of consciousness in many who had failed other traditional cognitive tests. The findings are presented in a paper today in Nature Neuroscience (Scientific American is part of the Nature Publishing Group).

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