In cases where a patient has suffered a brain injury and is not responding, medical professionals perform simple tests such as calling the patient’s name, clapping in close proximity to their ear, or sticking a cotton swab inside their nose to check for awareness.
People who don’t wake up are frequently thought to have passed out.
However, a recent study indicates that 25% of patients with brain injuries may be responding to commands mentally rather than physically. This week, the New England Journal of Medicine published the findings.
The study examined 353 patients who appeared to have lost consciousness as a result of a brain injury from the outside. These injuries came from a variety of sources, including heart attacks, strokes, and accidents. 241 of those patients were determined to be either minimally conscious, in a vegetative state, or in a coma.
The researchers verbally instructed the patients to open and close their hands or to visualise themselves swimming. Evidence showed that 60 out of the 241 patients could still complete those tasks mentally. This is known in the study as “cognitive motor dissociation.” “Covert awareness” is a term that some physicians prefer.
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