A 38-year-old severely brain-injured man, who was virtually unconscious for six years, can now chew food, drink out of a cup and recite 16 words of the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance after surgeons used deep-brain electrical stimulation — giving researchers hope that this form of therapy could usher a new era for treating patients in a minimally-conscious state.
Deep-brain stimulation, essentially a pacemaker for the brain, has been used in the treatment of Parkinson's disease and depression. The use of electrodes in cases of severe brain damage, reported in Thursday's issue of the science journal Nature, marks a new chapter in the treatment of brain disorders and gives hope to thousands of families.
Researchers, however, cautioned that the approach must be tested in more people, and its effects may not be shared equally by all patients in a minimally-conscious state. |