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Hu J, Chen C, Wu M, Zhang J, Meng F, Li T, Luo B. Assessing consciousness in acute coma using name-evoked responses. Brain Res Bull 2024; 218:111091. [PMID: 39368632 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2024.111091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2024] [Revised: 09/14/2024] [Accepted: 09/28/2024] [Indexed: 10/07/2024]
Abstract
Detecting consciousness in clinically unresponsive patients remains a significant challenge. Existing studies demonstrate that electroencephalography (EEG) can detect brain responses in behaviorally unresponsive patients, indicating potential for consciousness detection. However, most of this evidence is based on chronic patients, and there is a lack of studies focusing on acute coma cases. This study aims to detect signs of residual consciousness in patients with acute coma by using bedside EEG and electromyography (EMG) during an auditory oddball paradigm. We recruited patients with acute brain injury (either traumatic brain injury or cardiac arrest) who were admitted to the intensive care unit within two weeks after injury, with a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of 8 or below. Auditory stimuli included the patients' own names and other common names (referred to as standard names), spoken by the patients' relatives, delivered under two conditions: passive listening (where patients were instructed that sounds would be played) and active listening (where patients were asked to move hands when heard their own names). Brain and muscle activity were recorded using EEG and EMG during the auditory paradigm. Event-related potentials (ERP) and EMG spectra were analyzed and compared between responses to the subject's own name and other standard names in both passive and active listening conditions. A total of 22 patients were included in the final analysis. Subjects exhibited enhanced ERP responses when exposed to their own names, particularly during the active listening task. Compared to standard names or passive listening, distinct differences in brain network connectivity and increased EMG responses were detected during active listening to their own names. These findings suggest the presence of residual consciousness, offering the potential for assessing consciousness in behaviorally unresponsive patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Hu
- Department of Neurology, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310003, China
| | - Chunyou Chen
- Department of Neurology, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310003, China; Department of Neurology, the First People's Hospital of Wenling,Wenling, Zhejiang 317500, China
| | - Min Wu
- FMRIB, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Jingchen Zhang
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310003, China
| | - Fanxia Meng
- Department of Neurology, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310003, China
| | - Tong Li
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310003, China.
| | - Benyan Luo
- Department of Neurology, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310003, China; The MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain-Machine Integration, Zhejiang University,Hangzhou 310003, China.
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2
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Cruse D, Ragazinskaite K, Chinner A, Bareham C, Roberts N, Banner R, Chennu S, Villa D. Family caregivers' sense-making of the results of functional neurodiagnostics for patients with Prolonged Disorders of Consciousness. Neuropsychol Rehabil 2024; 34:1257-1278. [PMID: 38230516 PMCID: PMC11418901 DOI: 10.1080/09602011.2023.2299448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2024]
Abstract
Functional neuroimaging and electrophysiological assessments can identify evidence of residual consciousness and cognition in patients with prolonged disorders of consciousness (PDOC) who are otherwise behaviourally unresponsive. These functional neurodiagnostics are increasingly available in clinical settings and are recommended by international clinical guidelines to reduce diagnostic and prognostic uncertainty, and thereby assist family caregivers in their best-interests decision-making. Nevertheless, little is known about how family caregivers make sense of the results of these state-of-the-art functional neurodiagnostics. By applying Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to interviews with family caregivers of patients with diagnoses of PDOC who had received a functional neurodiagnostic assessment, we identify three primary themes of sense-making: The special significance of "brain scans"; A dynamic sense-making process; Holding on to hope and holding on to the person. These themes highlight the challenges of helping family caregivers to balance the relative importance of functional neurodiagnostic results with other clinical assessments and identify an ability of family caregivers to hold a contradiction in which they hope for recovery but simultaneously express a rational understanding of evidence to the contrary. We offer several recommendations for the ways in which family caregivers can be better supported to make sense of the results of functional neurodiagnostics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damian Cruse
- Centre for Human Brain Health, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, UK
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, UK
| | | | - Amy Chinner
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, UK
| | | | - Neil Roberts
- Sawbridgeworth Medical Services, Jacobs & Gardens Neuro Centres, Sawbridgeworth, UK
| | - Ruth Banner
- Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK
| | - Srivas Chennu
- School of Computing, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Darrelle Villa
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, UK
- Centre for Applied Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, UK
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3
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Kazazian K, Abdalmalak A, Novi SL, Norton L, Moulavi-Ardakani R, Kolisnyk M, Gofton TE, Mesquita RC, Owen AM, Debicki DB. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy: A novel tool for detecting consciousness after acute severe brain injury. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2402723121. [PMID: 39186658 PMCID: PMC11388405 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2402723121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2024] [Accepted: 07/05/2024] [Indexed: 08/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Recent advancements in functional neuroimaging have demonstrated that some unresponsive patients in the intensive care unit retain a level of consciousness that is inconsistent with their behavioral diagnosis of awareness. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a portable optical neuroimaging method that can be used to measure neural activity with good temporal and spatial resolution. However, the reliability of fNIRS for detecting the neural correlates of consciousness remains to be established. In a series of studies, we evaluated whether fNIRS can record sensory, perceptual, and command-driven neural processing in healthy participants and in behaviorally nonresponsive patients. At the individual healthy subject level, we demonstrate that fNIRS can detect commonly studied resting state networks, sensorimotor processing, speech-specific auditory processing, and volitional command-driven brain activity to a motor imagery task. We then tested fNIRS with three acutely brain injured patients and found that one could willfully modulate their brain activity when instructed to imagine playing a game of tennis-providing evidence of preserved consciousness despite no observable behavioral signs of awareness. The successful application of fNIRS for detecting preserved awareness among behaviorally nonresponsive patients highlights its potential as a valuable tool for uncovering hidden cognitive states in critical care settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karnig Kazazian
- Western Institute of Neuroscience, Western University, London N6A 3K7, Canada
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London N6A 3K7, Canada
| | - Androu Abdalmalak
- Western Institute of Neuroscience, Western University, London N6A 3K7, Canada
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London N6A 3K7, Canada
| | - Sergio L Novi
- Western Institute of Neuroscience, Western University, London N6A 3K7, Canada
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London N6A 3K7, Canada
| | - Loretta Norton
- Western Institute of Neuroscience, Western University, London N6A 3K7, Canada
- Department of Psychology, King's University College at Western University, London N6A 2M3, Canada
| | | | - Matthew Kolisnyk
- Western Institute of Neuroscience, Western University, London N6A 3K7, Canada
| | - Teneille E Gofton
- Western Institute of Neuroscience, Western University, London N6A 3K7, Canada
- Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London N6A 3K7, Canada
| | - Rickson C Mesquita
- School of Computer Science, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2SQ, United Kingdom
- Gleb Wataghin Institute of Physics, University of Campinas, Campinas 13083-970, Brazil
| | - Adrian M Owen
- Western Institute of Neuroscience, Western University, London N6A 3K7, Canada
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London N6A 3K7, Canada
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Science, Western University, London N6A 3K7, Canada
| | - Derek B Debicki
- Western Institute of Neuroscience, Western University, London N6A 3K7, Canada
- Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London N6A 3K7, Canada
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Edlow BL, Menon DK. Covert Consciousness in the ICU. Crit Care Med 2024; 52:1414-1426. [PMID: 39145701 DOI: 10.1097/ccm.0000000000006372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/16/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES For critically ill patients with acute severe brain injuries, consciousness may reemerge before behavioral responsiveness. The phenomenon of covert consciousness (i.e., cognitive motor dissociation) may be detected by advanced neurotechnologies such as task-based functional MRI (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG) in patients who appear unresponsive on the bedside behavioral examination. In this narrative review, we summarize the state-of-the-science in ICU detection of covert consciousness. Further, we consider the prognostic and therapeutic implications of diagnosing covert consciousness in the ICU, as well as its potential to inform discussions about continuation of life-sustaining therapy for patients with severe brain injuries. DATA SOURCES We reviewed salient medical literature regarding covert consciousness. STUDY SELECTION We included clinical studies investigating the diagnostic performance characteristics and prognostic utility of advanced neurotechnologies such as task-based fMRI and EEG. We focus on clinical guidelines, professional society scientific statements, and neuroethical analyses pertaining to the implementation of advanced neurotechnologies in the ICU to detect covert consciousness. DATA EXTRACTION AND DATA SYNTHESIS We extracted study results, guideline recommendations, and society scientific statement recommendations regarding the diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic relevance of covert consciousness to the clinical care of ICU patients with severe brain injuries. CONCLUSIONS Emerging evidence indicates that covert consciousness is present in approximately 15-20% of ICU patients who appear unresponsive on behavioral examination. Covert consciousness may be detected in patients with traumatic and nontraumatic brain injuries, including patients whose behavioral examination suggests a comatose state. The presence of covert consciousness in the ICU may predict the pace and extent of long-term functional recovery. Professional society guidelines now recommend assessment of covert consciousness using task-based fMRI and EEG. However, the clinical criteria for patient selection for such investigations are uncertain and global access to advanced neurotechnologies is limited.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian L Edlow
- Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA
| | - David K Menon
- University Division of Anaesthesia, University of Cambridge, Addenbrooke's Hospital Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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Xiao X, Ding J, Yu M, Dong Z, Cruz S, Ding N, Aubinet C, Laureys S, Di H, Chen Y. Exploring the clinical diagnostic value of linguistic learning ability in patients with disorders of consciousness using electrooculography. Neuroimage 2024; 297:120753. [PMID: 39053636 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2024.120753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2024] [Revised: 07/15/2024] [Accepted: 07/23/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024] Open
Abstract
For patients with disorders of consciousness (DoC), accurate assessment of residual consciousness levels and cognitive abilities is critical for developing appropriate rehabilitation interventions. In this study, we investigated the potential of electrooculography (EOG) in assessing language processing abilities and consciousness levels. Patients' EOG data and related electrophysiological data were analysed before and after explicit language learning. The results showed distinct differences in vocabulary learning patterns among patients with varying levels of consciousness. While minimally conscious patients showed significant neural tracking of artificial words and notable learning effects similar to those observed in healthy controls, whereas patients with unresponsive wakefulness syndrome did not show such effects. Correlation analysis further indicated that EOG detected vocabulary learning effects with comparable validity to electroencephalography, reinforcing the credibility of EOG indicator as a diagnostic tool. Critically, EOG also revealed significant correlations between individual patients' linguistic learning performance and their Oromotor/verbal function as assessed through behavioural scales. In conclusion, this study explored the differences in language processing abilities among patients with varying consciousness levels. By demonstrating the utility of EOG in evaluating consciousness and detecting vocabulary learning effects, as well as its potential to guide personalised rehabilitation, our findings indicate that EOG indicators show promise as a rapid, accurate and effective additional tool for diagnosing and managing patients with DoC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangyue Xiao
- International Unresponsive Wakefulness Syndrome and Consciousness Science Institute, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China; Key Laboratory of Ageing and Cancer Biology of Zhejiang Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China
| | - Junhua Ding
- Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9YL, UK
| | - Mingyan Yu
- International Unresponsive Wakefulness Syndrome and Consciousness Science Institute, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China; Key Laboratory of Ageing and Cancer Biology of Zhejiang Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China
| | - Zhicai Dong
- International Unresponsive Wakefulness Syndrome and Consciousness Science Institute, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China; Key Laboratory of Ageing and Cancer Biology of Zhejiang Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China
| | - Sara Cruz
- The Psychology for Development Research Centre, Lusiada University Porto, Porto 4100-348, Portugal
| | - Nai Ding
- Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
| | - Charlène Aubinet
- Coma Science Group, GIGA Consciousness & Centre du Cerveau, University and University Hospital of Liège, Liège 4000, Belgium; Psychology & Neuroscience of Cognition Research Unit, University of Liège, Liège 4000, Belgium
| | - Steven Laureys
- Coma Science Group, GIGA Consciousness & Centre du Cerveau, University and University Hospital of Liège, Liège 4000, Belgium
| | - Haibo Di
- International Unresponsive Wakefulness Syndrome and Consciousness Science Institute, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China; Key Laboratory of Ageing and Cancer Biology of Zhejiang Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China.
| | - Yan Chen
- International Unresponsive Wakefulness Syndrome and Consciousness Science Institute, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China; Key Laboratory of Ageing and Cancer Biology of Zhejiang Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China.
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6
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Kazazian K, Edlow BL, Owen AM. Detecting awareness after acute brain injury. Lancet Neurol 2024; 23:836-844. [PMID: 39030043 DOI: 10.1016/s1474-4422(24)00209-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2024] [Revised: 04/28/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 07/21/2024]
Abstract
Advances over the past two decades in functional neuroimaging have provided new diagnostic and prognostic tools for patients with severe brain injury. Some of the most pertinent developments in this area involve the assessment of residual brain function in patients in the intensive care unit during the acute phase of severe injury, when they are at their most vulnerable and prognosis is uncertain. Advanced neuroimaging techniques, such as functional MRI and EEG, have now been used to identify preserved cognitive processing, including covert conscious awareness, and to relate them to outcome in patients who are behaviourally unresponsive. Yet, technical and logistical challenges to clinical integration of these advanced neuroimaging techniques remain, such as the need for specialised expertise to acquire, analyse, and interpret data and to determine the appropriate timing for such assessments. Once these barriers are overcome, advanced functional neuroimaging technologies could improve diagnosis and prognosis for millions of patients worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karnig Kazazian
- Western Institute of Neuroscience, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
| | - Brian L Edlow
- Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Athinoula A Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Adrian M Owen
- Western Institute of Neuroscience, Western University, London, ON, Canada; Department of Physiology and Pharmacology and Department of Psychology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
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Lejeune N, Fritz P, Cardone P, Szymkowicz E, Vitello MM, Martial C, Thibaut A, Gosseries O. Exploring the Significance of Cognitive Motor Dissociation on Patient Outcome in Acute Disorders of Consciousness. Semin Neurol 2024; 44:271-280. [PMID: 38604229 DOI: 10.1055/s-0044-1785507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/13/2024]
Abstract
Cognitive motor dissociation (CMD) is characterized by a dissociation between volitional brain responses and motor control, detectable only through techniques such as electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging. Hence, it has recently emerged as a major challenge in the assessment of patients with disorders of consciousness. Specifically, this review focuses on the prognostic implications of CMD detection during the acute stage of brain injury. CMD patients were identified in each diagnostic category (coma, unresponsive wakefulness syndrome/vegetative state, minimally conscious state minus) with a relatively similar prevalence of around 20%. Current knowledge tends to indicate that the diagnosis of CMD in the acute phase often predicts a more favorable clinical outcome compared with other unresponsive non-CMD patients. Nevertheless, the review underscores the limited research in this domain, probably at least partially explained by its nascent nature and the lack of uniformity in the nomenclature for CMD-related disorders, hindering the impact of the literature in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Lejeune
- Coma Science Group, GIGA-Consciousness, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
- Centre du Cerveau, University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium
- DoC Care Unit, Centre Hospitalier Neurologique William Lennox, Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
- Institute of NeuroScience, UCLouvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Pauline Fritz
- Coma Science Group, GIGA-Consciousness, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
- Centre du Cerveau, University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Paolo Cardone
- Coma Science Group, GIGA-Consciousness, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
- Centre du Cerveau, University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Emilie Szymkowicz
- Coma Science Group, GIGA-Consciousness, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
- Centre du Cerveau, University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Marie M Vitello
- Coma Science Group, GIGA-Consciousness, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
- Centre du Cerveau, University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Charlotte Martial
- Coma Science Group, GIGA-Consciousness, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
- Centre du Cerveau, University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Aurore Thibaut
- Coma Science Group, GIGA-Consciousness, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
- Centre du Cerveau, University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Olivia Gosseries
- Coma Science Group, GIGA-Consciousness, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
- Centre du Cerveau, University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium
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Young MJ, Kazazian K, Fischer D, Lissak IA, Bodien YG, Edlow BL. Disclosing Results of Tests for Covert Consciousness: A Framework for Ethical Translation. Neurocrit Care 2024; 40:865-878. [PMID: 38243150 PMCID: PMC11147696 DOI: 10.1007/s12028-023-01899-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2024]
Abstract
The advent of neurotechnologies including advanced functional magnetic resonance imaging and electroencephalography to detect states of awareness not detectable by traditional bedside neurobehavioral techniques (i.e., covert consciousness) promises to transform neuroscience research and clinical practice for patients with brain injury. As these interventions progress from research tools into actionable, guideline-endorsed clinical tests, ethical guidance for clinicians on how to responsibly communicate the sensitive results they yield is crucial yet remains underdeveloped. Drawing on insights from empirical and theoretical neuroethics research and our clinical experience with advanced neurotechnologies to detect consciousness in behaviorally unresponsive patients, we critically evaluate ethical promises and perils associated with disclosing the results of clinical covert consciousness assessments and describe a semistructured approach to responsible data sharing to mitigate potential risks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Young
- Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 101 Merrimac Street, Suite 310, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.
| | - Karnig Kazazian
- Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 101 Merrimac Street, Suite 310, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
- Western Institute of Neuroscience, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - David Fischer
- University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - India A Lissak
- Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 101 Merrimac Street, Suite 310, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Yelena G Bodien
- Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 101 Merrimac Street, Suite 310, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Brian L Edlow
- Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 101 Merrimac Street, Suite 310, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
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9
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Young MJ, Fecchio M, Bodien YG, Edlow BL. Covert cortical processing: a diagnosis in search of a definition. Neurosci Conscious 2024; 2024:niad026. [PMID: 38327828 PMCID: PMC10849751 DOI: 10.1093/nc/niad026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Revised: 10/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/10/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Historically, clinical evaluation of unresponsive patients following brain injury has relied principally on serial behavioral examination to search for emerging signs of consciousness and track recovery. Advances in neuroimaging and electrophysiologic techniques now enable clinicians to peer into residual brain functions even in the absence of overt behavioral signs. These advances have expanded clinicians' ability to sub-stratify behaviorally unresponsive and seemingly unaware patients following brain injury by querying and classifying covert brain activity made evident through active or passive neuroimaging or electrophysiologic techniques, including functional MRI, electroencephalography (EEG), transcranial magnetic stimulation-EEG, and positron emission tomography. Clinical research has thus reciprocally influenced clinical practice, giving rise to new diagnostic categories including cognitive-motor dissociation (i.e. 'covert consciousness') and covert cortical processing (CCP). While covert consciousness has received extensive attention and study, CCP is relatively less understood. We describe that CCP is an emerging and clinically relevant state of consciousness marked by the presence of intact association cortex responses to environmental stimuli in the absence of behavioral evidence of stimulus processing. CCP is not a monotonic state but rather encapsulates a spectrum of possible association cortex responses from rudimentary to complex and to a range of possible stimuli. In constructing a roadmap for this evolving field, we emphasize that efforts to inform clinicians, philosophers, and researchers of this condition are crucial. Along with strategies to sensitize diagnostic criteria and disorders of consciousness nosology to these vital discoveries, democratizing access to the resources necessary for clinical identification of CCP is an emerging clinical and ethical imperative.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Young
- Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 101 Merrimac Street, Suite 310, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Matteo Fecchio
- Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 101 Merrimac Street, Suite 310, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Yelena G Bodien
- Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 101 Merrimac Street, Suite 310, Boston, MA 02114, USA
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 300 1st Ave, Charlestown, Boston, MA 02129, USA
| | - Brian L Edlow
- Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 101 Merrimac Street, Suite 310, Boston, MA 02114, USA
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 149 13th St, Charlestown, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
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10
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Claassen J, Kondziella D, Alkhachroum A, Diringer M, Edlow BL, Fins JJ, Gosseries O, Hannawi Y, Rohaut B, Schnakers C, Stevens RD, Thibaut A, Monti M. Cognitive Motor Dissociation: Gap Analysis and Future Directions. Neurocrit Care 2024; 40:81-98. [PMID: 37349602 DOI: 10.1007/s12028-023-01769-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Patients with disorders of consciousness who are behaviorally unresponsive may demonstrate volitional brain responses to motor imagery or motor commands detectable on functional magnetic resonance imaging or electroencephalography. This state of cognitive motor dissociation (CMD) may have prognostic significance. METHODS The Neurocritical Care Society's Curing Coma Campaign identified an international group of experts who convened in a series of monthly online meetings between September 2021 and April 2023 to examine the science of CMD and identify key knowledge gaps and unmet needs. RESULTS The group identified major knowledge gaps in CMD research: (1) lack of information about patient experiences and caregiver accounts of CMD, (2) limited epidemiological data on CMD, (3) uncertainty about underlying mechanisms of CMD, (4) methodological variability that limits testing of CMD as a biomarker for prognostication and treatment trials, (5) educational gaps for health care personnel about the incidence and potential prognostic relevance of CMD, and (6) challenges related to identification of patients with CMD who may be able to communicate using brain-computer interfaces. CONCLUSIONS To improve the management of patients with disorders of consciousness, research efforts should address these mechanistic, epidemiological, bioengineering, and educational gaps to enable large-scale implementation of CMD assessment in clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Claassen
- Department of Neurology, Neurological Institute, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, NewYork Presbyterian Hospital, 177 Fort Washington Avenue, MHB 8 Center, Room 300, New York, NY, 10032, USA.
| | - Daniel Kondziella
- Department of Neurology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Michael Diringer
- Department of Neurology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Brian L Edlow
- Department of Neurology, Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Joseph J Fins
- Division of Medical Ethics, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, NewYork Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Olivia Gosseries
- Coma Science Group, GIGA Consciousness, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium
- Centre du Cerveau, University Hospital of Liege, Liege, Belgium
| | - Yousef Hannawi
- Division of Cerebrovascular Diseases and Neurocritical Care, Department of Neurology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Benjamin Rohaut
- Sorbonne Université, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP) - Pitié Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | | | - Robert D Stevens
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Neurology, and Radiology, School of Medicine, Secondary Appointment in Biomedical Engineering, Whiting School of Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Aurore Thibaut
- Coma Science Group, GIGA Consciousness, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium
- Centre du Cerveau, University Hospital of Liege, Liege, Belgium
| | - Martin Monti
- Department of Psychology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Abstract
In this article, we discuss the taxonomy associated with the four major disorders of consciousness (DoC): coma, vegetative state or unresponsive wakefulness syndrome, minimally conscious state, and post-traumatic confusional state. We briefly review the history of each disorder and then provide operational definitions and diagnostic criteria for each one. We rely heavily on recently released practice guidelines and, where appropriate, identify knowledge gaps and discuss future directions to advance DoC research and practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine Golden
- School of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences, MGH Institute of Health Professions, 36 1st Avenue, Boston, MA 02129, USA
| | - Yelena G Bodien
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, 300 1st Avenue, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA; Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School, 25 Shattuck Street, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Joseph T Giacino
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, 300 1st Avenue, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA; Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
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12
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Abstract
Covert consciousness is a state of residual awareness following severe brain injury or neurological disorder that evades routine bedside behavioral detection. Patients with covert consciousness have preserved awareness but are incapable of self-expression through ordinary means of behavior or communication. Growing recognition of the limitations of bedside neurobehavioral examination in reliably detecting consciousness, along with advances in neurotechnologies capable of detecting brain states or subtle signs indicative of consciousness not discernible by routine examination, carry promise to transform approaches to classifying, diagnosing, prognosticating and treating disorders of consciousness. Here we describe and critically evaluate the evolving clinical category of covert consciousness, including approaches to its diagnosis through neuroimaging, electrophysiology, and novel behavioral tools, its prognostic relevance, and open questions pertaining to optimal clinical management of patients with covert consciousness recovering from severe brain injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J. Young
- Department of Neurology, Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Brian L. Edlow
- Department of Neurology, Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Yelena G. Bodien
- Department of Neurology, Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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13
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Benedetti GM, Guerriero RM, Press CA. Review of Noninvasive Neuromonitoring Modalities in Children II: EEG, qEEG. Neurocrit Care 2023; 39:618-638. [PMID: 36949358 PMCID: PMC10033183 DOI: 10.1007/s12028-023-01686-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 03/24/2023]
Abstract
Critically ill children with acute neurologic dysfunction are at risk for a variety of complications that can be detected by noninvasive bedside neuromonitoring. Continuous electroencephalography (cEEG) is the most widely available and utilized form of neuromonitoring in the pediatric intensive care unit. In this article, we review the role of cEEG and the emerging role of quantitative EEG (qEEG) in this patient population. cEEG has long been established as the gold standard for detecting seizures in critically ill children and assessing treatment response, and its role in background assessment and neuroprognostication after brain injury is also discussed. We explore the emerging utility of both cEEG and qEEG as biomarkers of degree of cerebral dysfunction after specific injuries and their ability to detect both neurologic deterioration and improvement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia M Benedetti
- Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Neurology, Seattle Children's Hospital and the University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA.
- Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, C.S. Mott Children's Hospital and the University of Michigan, 1540 E Hospital Drive, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-4279, USA.
| | - Rejéan M Guerriero
- Division of Pediatric and Developmental Neurology, Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Craig A Press
- Departments of Neurology and Pediatric, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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14
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Cappotto D, Luo D, Lai HW, Peng F, Melloni L, Schnupp JWH, Auksztulewicz R. "What" and "when" predictions modulate auditory processing in a mutually congruent manner. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1180066. [PMID: 37781257 PMCID: PMC10540699 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1180066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Extracting regularities from ongoing stimulus streams to form predictions is crucial for adaptive behavior. Such regularities exist in terms of the content of the stimuli and their timing, both of which are known to interactively modulate sensory processing. In real-world stimulus streams such as music, regularities can occur at multiple levels, both in terms of contents (e.g., predictions relating to individual notes vs. their more complex groups) and timing (e.g., pertaining to timing between intervals vs. the overall beat of a musical phrase). However, it is unknown whether the brain integrates predictions in a manner that is mutually congruent (e.g., if "beat" timing predictions selectively interact with "what" predictions falling on pulses which define the beat), and whether integrating predictions in different timing conditions relies on dissociable neural correlates. Methods To address these questions, our study manipulated "what" and "when" predictions at different levels - (local) interval-defining and (global) beat-defining - within the same stimulus stream, while neural activity was recorded using electroencephalogram (EEG) in participants (N = 20) performing a repetition detection task. Results Our results reveal that temporal predictions based on beat or interval timing modulated mismatch responses to violations of "what" predictions happening at the predicted time points, and that these modulations were shared between types of temporal predictions in terms of the spatiotemporal distribution of EEG signals. Effective connectivity analysis using dynamic causal modeling showed that the integration of "what" and "when" predictions selectively increased connectivity at relatively late cortical processing stages, between the superior temporal gyrus and the fronto-parietal network. Discussion Taken together, these results suggest that the brain integrates different predictions with a high degree of mutual congruence, but in a shared and distributed cortical network. This finding contrasts with recent studies indicating separable mechanisms for beat-based and memory-based predictive processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Drew Cappotto
- Department of Neuroscience, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Ear Institute, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Dan Luo
- Department of Neuroscience, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Hiu Wai Lai
- Department of Neuroscience, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Fei Peng
- Department of Neuroscience, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Lucia Melloni
- Department of Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Department of Neurology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | | | - Ryszard Auksztulewicz
- Department of Neuroscience, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Department of Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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15
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Vatrano M, Nemirovsky IE, Tonin P, Riganello F. Assessing Consciousness through Neurofeedback and Neuromodulation: Possibilities and Challenges. Life (Basel) 2023; 13:1675. [PMID: 37629532 PMCID: PMC10455583 DOI: 10.3390/life13081675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Revised: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/30/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Neurofeedback is a non-invasive therapeutic approach that has gained traction in recent years, showing promising results for various neurological and psychiatric conditions. It involves real-time monitoring of brain activity, allowing individuals to gain control over their own brainwaves and improve cognitive performance or alleviate symptoms. The use of electroencephalography (EEG), such as brain-computer interface (BCI), transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), has been instrumental in developing neurofeedback techniques. However, the application of these tools in patients with disorders of consciousness (DoC) presents unique challenges. In this narrative review, we explore the use of neurofeedback in treating patients with DoC. More specifically, we discuss the advantages and challenges of using tools such as EEG neurofeedback, tDCS, TMS, and BCI for these conditions. Ultimately, we hope to provide the neuroscientific community with a comprehensive overview of neurofeedback and emphasize its potential therapeutic applications in severe cases of impaired consciousness levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Vatrano
- S. Anna Institute, Research in Advanced Neurorehabilitation, Via Siris, 11, 88900 Crotone, Italy;
| | - Idan Efim Nemirovsky
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Brain and Mind Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada;
| | - Paolo Tonin
- S. Anna Institute, Research in Advanced Neurorehabilitation, Via Siris, 11, 88900 Crotone, Italy;
| | - Francesco Riganello
- S. Anna Institute, Research in Advanced Neurorehabilitation, Via Siris, 11, 88900 Crotone, Italy;
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16
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Xu C, Zheng R, Zhou L, Feng D. Alteration in ventral tegmental area and default mode network interplay and prediction of coma recovery in patients with sTBI. Heliyon 2023; 9:e15279. [PMID: 37128308 PMCID: PMC10148103 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e15279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Revised: 03/19/2023] [Accepted: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose To investigate the role of VTA and DMN in modulating human consciousness in patient with sTBI. Methods We mapped an atlas of VTA in the brainstem and a total of 19 region of interests in the ventral and dorsal DMN onto functional magnetic resonance imaging in 28 patients with sTBI and 28 healthy controls. We assessed the functional connectivity alteration in subcortical VTA and cortical DMN nodes in patients of coma. We evaluated the spatially distribution of FC alteration in VTA and DMN nodes after sTBI and evaluated their predictive value for coma recovery. Results There was a decrease in FC between VTA and DMN in patients compared to controls. After decomposition, the FC between VTA and 10 DMN nodes were decreased whereas the FC within 2 DMN nodes were increased in patients with acute coma. The FC alteration in DMN nodes provided useful information for the early prediction of 6-month coma recovery in patients with sTBI. Conclusions We provide initial evidence for the decreased FC between VTA and massive DMN nodes in patients with coma in acute phase of sTBI. We found that the FC alteration within DMN is more useful than the FC alteration between VTA and DMN for predicting coma recovery in patients with sTBI. VTA and DMN connectivity mapping provides an opportunity to advance the cortical-subcortical mechanism of human consciousness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Canxin Xu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Southern Medical University Affiliated Fengxian Hospital, Shanghai, China
- Department of Neurosurgery, Ruijin Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - RuiZhe Zheng
- Institute of Traumatic Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, PR China
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - LaiYang Zhou
- Institute of Wannan Medical College, Wuhu, PR China
| | - DongFu Feng
- Department of Neurosurgery, Southern Medical University Affiliated Fengxian Hospital, Shanghai, China
- Institute of Traumatic Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, PR China
- Corresponding author. Department of Neurosurgery, Southern Medical University Affiliated Fengxian Hospital, Shanghai,201499, China.
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17
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Xu C, Li H, Gao J, Li L, He F, Yu J, Ling Y, Gao J, Li J, Melloni L, Luo B, Ding N. Statistical learning in patients in the minimally conscious state. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:2507-2516. [PMID: 35670595 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Revised: 05/08/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
When listening to speech, cortical activity can track mentally constructed linguistic units such as words, phrases, and sentences. Recent studies have also shown that the neural responses to mentally constructed linguistic units can predict the outcome of patients with disorders of consciousness (DoC). In healthy individuals, cortical tracking of linguistic units can be driven by both long-term linguistic knowledge and online learning of the transitional probability between syllables. Here, we investigated whether statistical learning could occur in patients in the minimally conscious state (MCS) and patients emerged from the MCS (EMCS) using electroencephalography (EEG). In Experiment 1, we presented to participants an isochronous sequence of syllables, which were composed of either 4 real disyllabic words or 4 reversed disyllabic words. An inter-trial phase coherence analysis revealed that the patient groups showed similar word tracking responses to real and reversed words. In Experiment 2, we presented trisyllabic artificial words that were defined by the transitional probability between words, and a significant word-rate EEG response was observed for MCS patients. These results suggested that statistical learning can occur with a minimal conscious level. The residual statistical learning ability in MCS patients could potentially be harnessed to induce neural plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chuan Xu
- Department of Neurology, First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310003, China
| | - Hangcheng Li
- Department of Rehabilitation, Hangzhou Mingzhou Brain Rehabilitation Hospital, Hangzhou 311215, China
| | - Jiaxin Gao
- Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
- Research Center for Advanced Artificial Intelligence Theory, Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou 311121, China
| | - Lingling Li
- Department of Neurology, First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310003, China
| | - Fangping He
- Department of Neurology, First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310003, China
| | - Jie Yu
- Department of Neurology, First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310003, China
| | - Yi Ling
- Department of Neurology, First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310003, China
| | - Jian Gao
- Department of Rehabilitation, Hangzhou Mingzhou Brain Rehabilitation Hospital, Hangzhou 311215, China
| | - Jingqi Li
- Department of Rehabilitation, Hangzhou Mingzhou Brain Rehabilitation Hospital, Hangzhou 311215, China
| | - Lucia Melloni
- New York University Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, 223 34th Street, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Benyan Luo
- Department of Neurology, First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310003, China
| | - Nai Ding
- Department of Neurology, First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310003, China
- Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
- Research Center for Advanced Artificial Intelligence Theory, Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou 311121, China
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18
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Norton L, Kazazian K, Gofton T, Debicki DB, Fernandez-Espejo D, Peelle JE, Al Thenayan E, Young GB, Owen AM. Functional Neuroimaging as an Assessment Tool in Critically Ill Patients. Ann Neurol 2023; 93:131-141. [PMID: 36222470 DOI: 10.1002/ana.26530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2022] [Revised: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Little is known about residual cognitive function in the earliest stages of serious brain injury. Functional neuroimaging has yielded valuable diagnostic and prognostic information in chronic disorders of consciousness, such as the vegetative state (also termed unresponsive wakefulness syndrome). The objective of the current study was to determine if functional neuroimaging could be efficacious in the assessment of cognitive function in acute disorders of consciousness, such as coma, where decisions about the withdrawal of life-sustaining therapies are often made. METHODS A hierarchical functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) approach assessed sound perception, speech perception, language comprehension, and covert command following in 17 critically ill patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). RESULTS Preserved auditory function was observed in 15 patients (88%), whereas 5 (29%) also had preserved higher-order language comprehension. Notably, one patient could willfully modulate his brain activity when instructed to do so, suggesting a level of covert conscious awareness that was entirely inconsistent with his clinical diagnosis at the time of the scan. Across patients, a positive relationship was also observed between fMRI responsivity and the level of functional recovery, such that patients with the greatest functional recovery had neural responses most similar to those observed in healthy control participants. INTERPRETATION These results suggest that fMRI may provide important diagnostic and prognostic information beyond standard clinical assessment in acutely unresponsive patients, which may aid discussions surrounding the continuation or removal of life-sustaining therapies during the early post-injury period. ANN NEUROL 2023;93:131-141.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loretta Norton
- Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Psychology, King's University College at Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Karnig Kazazian
- Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Teneille Gofton
- Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Derek B Debicki
- Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Davinia Fernandez-Espejo
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK.,Centre for Human Brain Health and School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK
| | - Jonathan E Peelle
- Center for Cognitive and Brain Health, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Eyad Al Thenayan
- Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - G Bryan Young
- Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Adrian M Owen
- Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Physiology and Pharmacology and Department of Psychology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
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19
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Zheng RZ, Xu CX, Zhou LY, Feng DF. Default mode network overshadow executive control network in coma emergence and awakening prediction of patients with sTBI. Neuroimage Clin 2023; 37:103361. [PMID: 36871404 PMCID: PMC9995458 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2023.103361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2022] [Revised: 02/12/2023] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE We aimed to explore the pathogenesis of traumatic coma related to functional connectivity (FC) within the default mode network (DMN), within the executive control network (ECN) and between the DMN and ECN and to investigate its capacity for predicting awakening. METHODS We carried out resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) examinations on 28 traumatic coma patients and 28 age-matched healthy controls. DMN and ECN nodes were split into regions of interest (ROIs), and node-to-node FC analysis was conducted on individual participants. To identify coma pathogenesis, we compared the pairwise FC differences between coma patients and healthy controls. Meanwhile, we divided the traumatic coma patients into different subgroups based on their clinical outcome scores at 6 months postinjury. Considering the awakening prediction, we calculated the area under the curve (AUC) to evaluate the predictive ability of changed FC pairs. RESULTS We found a massive pairwise FC alteration in the patients with traumatic coma compared to the healthy controls [45% (33/74) pairwise FC located in the DMN, 27% (20/74) pairwise FC located in the ECN, and 28% (21/74) pairwise FC located between the DMN and ECN]. Moreover, in the awake and coma groups, there were 67% (12/18) pairwise FC alterations located in the DMN and 33% (6/18) pairwise FC alterations located between the DMN and ECN. We also indicated that pairwise FC that showed a predictive value of 6-month awakening was mainly located in the DMN rather than in the ECN. Specifically, decreased FC between the right superior frontal gyrus and right parahippocampal gyrus (in the DMN) showed the highest predictive ability (AUC = 0.827). CONCLUSION In the acute phase of severe traumatic brain injury (sTBI), the DMN plays a more prominent role than the ECN and the DMN-ECN interaction in the emergence of traumatic coma and the prediction of 6-month awakening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui-Zhe Zheng
- Department of Neurosurgery, Southern Medical University Affiliated Fengxian Hospital, Shanghai, China; Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Can-Xin Xu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Ruijin Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China; Department of Neurosurgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai, China
| | - Lai-Yang Zhou
- School of Preclinical Medicine, Wannan Medical College, Wuhu, Anhui, China
| | - Dong-Fu Feng
- Department of Neurosurgery, Southern Medical University Affiliated Fengxian Hospital, Shanghai, China; Institute of Traumatic Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
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20
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Naci L, Owen AM. Uncovering consciousness and revealing the preservation of mental life in unresponsive brain-injured patients. Semin Neurol 2022; 42:299-308. [PMID: 35790202 DOI: 10.1055/a-1892-1715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lorina Naci
- Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
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21
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Fischer D, Edlow BL, Giacino JT, Greer DM. Neuroprognostication: a conceptual framework. Nat Rev Neurol 2022; 18:419-427. [PMID: 35352033 PMCID: PMC9326772 DOI: 10.1038/s41582-022-00644-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Neuroprognostication, or the prediction of recovery from disorders of consciousness caused by severe brain injury, is as critical as it is complex. With profound implications for mortality and quality of life, neuroprognostication draws upon an intricate set of biomedical, probabilistic, psychosocial and ethical factors. However, the clinical approach to neuroprognostication is often unsystematic, and consequently, variable among clinicians and prone to error. Here, we offer a stepwise conceptual framework for reasoning through neuroprognostic determinations - including an evaluation of neurological function, estimation of a recovery trajectory, definition of goals of care and consideration of patient values - culminating in a clinically actionable formula for weighing the risks and benefits of life-sustaining treatment. Although the complexity of neuroprognostication might never be fully reducible to arithmetic, this systematic approach provides structure and guidance to supplement clinical judgement and direct future investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Fischer
- Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Brian L Edlow
- Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Joseph T Giacino
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - David M Greer
- Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
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22
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Bodien YG, Katz DI, Schiff ND, Giacino JT. Behavioral Assessment of Patients with Disorders of Consciousness. Semin Neurol 2022; 42:249-258. [PMID: 36100225 DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1756298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
Severe brain injury is associated with a period of impaired level of consciousness that can last from days to months and results in chronic impairment. Systematic assessment of level of function in patients with disorders of consciousness (DoC) is critical for diagnosis, prognostication, and evaluation of treatment efficacy. Approximately 40% of patients who are thought to be unconscious based on clinical bedside behavioral assessment demonstrate some signs of consciousness on standardized behavioral assessment. This finding, in addition to a growing body of literature demonstrating the advantages of standardized behavioral assessment of DoC, has led multiple professional societies and clinical guidelines to recommend standardized assessment over routine clinical evaluation of consciousness. Nevertheless, even standardized assessment is susceptible to biases and misdiagnosis, and examiners should consider factors, such as fluctuating arousal and aphasia, that may confound evaluation. We review approaches to behavioral assessment of consciousness, recent clinical guideline recommendations for use of specific measures to evaluate patients with DoC, and strategies for mitigating common biases that may confound the examination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yelena G Bodien
- Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts
| | - Douglas I Katz
- Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
- Brain Injury Program, Encompass Health Braintree Rehabilitation Hospital, Braintree, Massachusetts
| | - Nicholas D Schiff
- Feil Family Brain and Mind Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York
- Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Brain and Spine Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Joseph T Giacino
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts
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23
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Curley WH, Comanducci A, Fecchio M. Conventional and Investigational Approaches Leveraging Clinical EEG for Prognosis in Acute Disorders of Consciousness. Semin Neurol 2022; 42:309-324. [PMID: 36100227 DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1755220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
Prediction of recovery of consciousness after severe brain injury is difficult and limited by a lack of reliable, standardized biomarkers. Multiple approaches for analysis of clinical electroencephalography (EEG) that shed light on prognosis in acute severe brain injury have emerged in recent years. These approaches fall into two major categories: conventional characterization of EEG background and quantitative measurement of resting state or stimulus-induced EEG activity. Additionally, a small number of studies have associated the presence of electrophysiologic sleep features with prognosis in the acute phase of severe brain injury. In this review, we focus on approaches for the analysis of clinical EEG that have prognostic significance and that could be readily implemented with minimal additional equipment in clinical settings, such as intensive care and intensive rehabilitation units, for patients with acute disorders of consciousness.
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Affiliation(s)
- William H Curley
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.,Department of Neurology, Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Angela Comanducci
- IRCSS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi ONLUS, Milan, Italy.,Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Matteo Fecchio
- Department of Neurology, Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
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24
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Aubinet C, Schnakers C, Majerus S. Language Assessment in Patients with Disorders of Consciousness. Semin Neurol 2022; 42:273-282. [PMID: 36100226 DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1755561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
The assessment of residual language abilities in patients with disorders of consciousness (DoC) after severe brain injury is particularly challenging due to their limited behavioral repertoire. Moreover, associated language impairment such as receptive aphasia may lead to an underestimation of actual consciousness levels. In this review, we examine past research on the assessment of residual language processing in DoC patients, and we discuss currently available tools for identifying language-specific abilities and their prognostic value. We first highlight the need for validated and sensitive bedside behavioral assessment tools for residual language abilities in DoC patients. As regards neuroimaging and electrophysiological methods, the tasks involving higher level linguistic commands appear to be the most informative about level of consciousness and have the best prognostic value. Neuroimaging methods should be combined with the most appropriate behavioral tools in multimodal assessment protocols to assess receptive language abilities in DoC patients in the most complete and sensitive manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlène Aubinet
- Coma Science Group, GIGA Consciousness, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.,Centre du Cerveau, University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium.,Psychology and Neuroscience of Cognition Research Unit, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Caroline Schnakers
- Research Institute, Casa Colina Hospital and Centers for Healthcare, Pomona, California
| | - Steve Majerus
- Psychology and Neuroscience of Cognition Research Unit, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
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25
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Hermann B, Sangaré A, Munoz-Musat E, Salah AB, Perez P, Valente M, Faugeras F, Axelrod V, Demeret S, Marois C, Pyatigorskaya N, Habert MO, Kas A, Sitt JD, Rohaut B, Naccache L. Importance, limits and caveats of the use of “disorders of consciousness” to theorize consciousness. Neurosci Conscious 2022; 2021:niab048. [PMID: 35369675 PMCID: PMC8966966 DOI: 10.1093/nc/niab048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2021] [Revised: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The clinical and fundamental exploration of patients suffering from disorders of consciousness (DoC) is commonly used by researchers both to test some of their key theoretical predictions and to serve as a unique source of empirical knowledge about possible dissociations between consciousness and cognitive and/or neural processes. For instance, the existence of states of vigilance free of any self-reportable subjective experience [e.g. “vegetative state (VS)” and “complex partial epileptic seizure”] originated from DoC and acted as a cornerstone for all theories by dissociating two concepts that were commonly equated and confused: vigilance and conscious state. In the present article, we first expose briefly the major achievements in the exploration and understanding of DoC. We then propose a synthetic taxonomy of DoC, and we finally highlight some current limits, caveats and questions that have to be addressed when using DoC to theorize consciousness. In particular, we show (i) that a purely behavioral approach of DoC is insufficient to characterize the conscious state of patients; (ii) that the comparison between patients in a minimally conscious state (MCS) and patients in a VS [also coined as unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (UWS)] does not correspond to a pure and minimal contrast between unconscious and conscious states and (iii) we emphasize, in the light of original resting-state positron emission tomography data, that behavioral MCS captures an important but misnamed clinical condition that rather corresponds to a cortically mediated state and that MCS does not necessarily imply the preservation of a conscious state.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Aude Sangaré
- Brain institute-ICM, Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Sorbonne Université, Paris 75013, France
- Department of Neurophysiology, AP-HP, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Sorbonne Université, Paris 75006, France
| | - Esteban Munoz-Musat
- Brain institute-ICM, Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Sorbonne Université, Paris 75013, France
| | - Amina Ben Salah
- Brain institute-ICM, Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Sorbonne Université, Paris 75013, France
| | - Pauline Perez
- Brain institute-ICM, Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Sorbonne Université, Paris 75013, France
| | - Mélanie Valente
- Brain institute-ICM, Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Sorbonne Université, Paris 75013, France
- Department of Neurophysiology, AP-HP, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Sorbonne Université, Paris 75006, France
| | - Frédéric Faugeras
- Department of Neurology, AP-HP, Hôpital Henri-Mondor-Albert Chenevier, Université Paris Est Creteil, Créteil 94 000, France
- Département d’Etudes Cognitives, École normale supérieure, PSL University, Paris 75005, France
- Inserm U955, Institut Mondor de Recherche Biomédicale, Equipe E01 NeuroPsychologie Interventionnelle, Créteil 94000, France
| | - Vadim Axelrod
- Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
| | - Sophie Demeret
- Department of Neurology, Neuro-ICU, AP-HP, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Sorbonne Université, Paris 75006, France
| | - Clémence Marois
- Department of Neurology, Neuro-ICU, AP-HP, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Sorbonne Université, Paris 75006, France
| | - Nadya Pyatigorskaya
- Brain institute-ICM, Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Sorbonne Université, Paris 75013, France
- Department of Neuroradiology, AP-HP, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Sorbonne Université, Paris 75006, France
| | - Marie-Odile Habert
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, AP-HP, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Paris, France
- Laboratoire d’Imagerie Biomédicale, LIB, INSERM, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Aurélie Kas
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, AP-HP, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Paris, France
- Laboratoire d’Imagerie Biomédicale, LIB, INSERM, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Jacobo D Sitt
- Brain institute-ICM, Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Sorbonne Université, Paris 75013, France
| | - Benjamin Rohaut
- Brain institute-ICM, Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Sorbonne Université, Paris 75013, France
- Department of Neurology, Neuro-ICU, AP-HP, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Sorbonne Université, Paris 75006, France
| | - Lionel Naccache
- Brain institute-ICM, Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Sorbonne Université, Paris 75013, France
- Department of Neurophysiology, AP-HP, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Sorbonne Université, Paris 75006, France
- Medical Intensive Care Unit, AP-HP, Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, Paris 75015, France
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26
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Pinto D, Prior A, Zion Golumbic E. Assessing the Sensitivity of EEG-Based Frequency-Tagging as a Metric for Statistical Learning. NEUROBIOLOGY OF LANGUAGE (CAMBRIDGE, MASS.) 2022; 3:214-234. [PMID: 37215560 PMCID: PMC10158570 DOI: 10.1162/nol_a_00061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Statistical learning (SL) is hypothesized to play an important role in language development. However, the measures typically used to assess SL, particularly at the level of individual participants, are largely indirect and have low sensitivity. Recently, a neural metric based on frequency-tagging has been proposed as an alternative measure for studying SL. We tested the sensitivity of frequency-tagging measures for studying SL in individual participants in an artificial language paradigm, using non-invasive electroencephalograph (EEG) recordings of neural activity in humans. Importantly, we used carefully constructed controls to address potential acoustic confounds of the frequency-tagging approach, and compared the sensitivity of EEG-based metrics to both explicit and implicit behavioral tests of SL. Group-level results confirm that frequency-tagging can provide a robust indication of SL for an artificial language, above and beyond potential acoustic confounds. However, this metric had very low sensitivity at the level of individual participants, with significant effects found only in 30% of participants. Comparison of the neural metric to previously established behavioral measures for assessing SL showed a significant yet weak correspondence with performance on an implicit task, which was above-chance in 70% of participants, but no correspondence with the more common explicit 2-alternative forced-choice task, where performance did not exceed chance-level. Given the proposed ubiquitous nature of SL, our results highlight some of the operational and methodological challenges of obtaining robust metrics for assessing SL, as well as the potential confounds that should be taken into account when using the frequency-tagging approach in EEG studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danna Pinto
- The Leslie and Susan Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Anat Prior
- Department of Learning Disabilities, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Elana Zion Golumbic
- The Leslie and Susan Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
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27
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Walter J. Consciousness as a multidimensional phenomenon: implications for the assessment of disorders of consciousness. Neurosci Conscious 2021; 2021:niab047. [PMID: 34992792 PMCID: PMC8716840 DOI: 10.1093/nc/niab047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2021] [Revised: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Disorders of consciousness (DoCs) pose a significant clinical and ethical challenge because they allow for complex forms of conscious experience in patients where intentional behaviour and communication are highly limited or non-existent. There is a pressing need for brain-based assessments that can precisely and accurately characterize the conscious state of individual DoC patients. There has been an ongoing research effort to develop neural measures of consciousness. However, these measures are challenging to validate not only due to our lack of ground truth about consciousness in many DoC patients but also because there is an open ontological question about consciousness. There is a growing, well-supported view that consciousness is a multidimensional phenomenon that cannot be fully described in terms of the theoretical construct of hierarchical, easily ordered conscious levels. The multidimensional view of consciousness challenges the utility of levels-based neural measures in the context of DoC assessment. To examine how these measures may map onto consciousness as a multidimensional phenomenon, this article will investigate a range of studies where they have been applied in states other than DoC and where more is known about conscious experience. This comparative evidence suggests that measures of conscious level are more sensitive to some dimensions of consciousness than others and cannot be assumed to provide a straightforward hierarchical characterization of conscious states. Elevated levels of brain complexity, for example, are associated with conscious states characterized by a high degree of sensory richness and minimal attentional constraints, but are suboptimal for goal-directed behaviour and external responsiveness. Overall, this comparative analysis indicates that there are currently limitations to the use of these measures as tools to evaluate consciousness as a multidimensional phenomenon and that the relationship between these neural signatures and phenomenology requires closer scrutiny.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasmine Walter
- Cognition and Philosophy Lab, 21 Chancellor’s Walk, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia
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28
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Kazazian K, Norton L, Laforge G, Abdalmalak A, Gofton TE, Debicki D, Slessarev M, Hollywood S, Lawrence KS, Owen AM. Improving Diagnosis and Prognosis in Acute Severe Brain Injury: A Multimodal Imaging Protocol. Front Neurol 2021; 12:757219. [PMID: 34938260 PMCID: PMC8685572 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2021.757219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Multi-modal neuroimaging techniques have the potential to dramatically improve the diagnosis of the level consciousness and prognostication of neurological outcome for patients with severe brain injury in the intensive care unit (ICU). This protocol describes a study that will utilize functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), electroencephalography (EEG), and functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) to measure and map the brain activity of acute critically ill patients. Our goal is to investigate whether these modalities can provide objective and quantifiable indicators of good neurological outcome and reliably detect conscious awareness. To this end, we will conduct a prospective longitudinal cohort study to validate the prognostic and diagnostic utility of neuroimaging techniques in the ICU. We will recruit 350 individuals from two ICUs over the course of 7 years. Participants will undergo fMRI, EEG, and fNIRS testing several times over the first 10 days of care to assess for residual cognitive function and evidence of covert awareness. Patients who regain behavioral awareness will be asked to complete web-based neurocognitive tests for 1 year, as well as return for follow up neuroimaging to determine which acute imaging features are most predictive of cognitive and functional recovery. Ultimately, multi-modal neuroimaging techniques may improve the clinical assessments of patients' level of consciousness, aid in the prediction of outcome, and facilitate efforts to find interventional methods that improve recovery and quality of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karnig Kazazian
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada.,Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Loretta Norton
- Department of Psychology, King's University College at Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Geoffrey Laforge
- Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, ON, Canada.,Department of Psychology, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Androu Abdalmalak
- Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, ON, Canada.,Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Teneille E Gofton
- Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Derek Debicki
- Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Marat Slessarev
- Department of Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Sarah Hollywood
- Department of Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Keith St Lawrence
- Department of Medical Biophysics, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Adrian M Owen
- Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, ON, Canada.,Department of Psychology, Western University, London, ON, Canada.,Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada
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29
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Young MJ, Bodien YG, Giacino JT, Fins JJ, Truog RD, Hochberg LR, Edlow BL. The neuroethics of disorders of consciousness: a brief history of evolving ideas. Brain 2021; 144:3291-3310. [PMID: 34347037 PMCID: PMC8883802 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awab290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2021] [Revised: 06/11/2021] [Accepted: 07/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroethical questions raised by recent advances in the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of consciousness are rapidly expanding, increasingly relevant and yet underexplored. The aim of this thematic review is to provide a clinically applicable framework for understanding the current taxonomy of disorders of consciousness and to propose an approach to identifying and critically evaluating actionable neuroethical issues that are frequently encountered in research and clinical care for this vulnerable population. Increased awareness of these issues and clarity about opportunities for optimizing ethically responsible care in this domain are especially timely given recent surges in critically ill patients with prolonged disorders of consciousness associated with coronavirus disease 2019 around the world. We begin with an overview of the field of neuroethics: what it is, its history and evolution in the context of biomedical ethics at large. We then explore nomenclature used in disorders of consciousness, covering categories proposed by the American Academy of Neurology, the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research, including definitions of terms such as coma, the vegetative state, unresponsive wakefulness syndrome, minimally conscious state, covert consciousness and the confusional state. We discuss why these definitions matter, and why there has been such evolution in this nosology over the years, from Jennett and Plum in 1972 to the Multi-Society Task Force in 1994, the Aspen Working Group in 2002 and the 2018 American and 2020 European Disorders of Consciousness guidelines. We then move to a discussion of clinical aspects of disorders of consciousness, the natural history of recovery and ethical issues that arise within the context of caring for people with disorders of consciousness. We conclude with a discussion of key challenges associated with assessing residual consciousness in disorders of consciousness, potential solutions and future directions, including integration of crucial disability rights perspectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Young
- Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery,
Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical
School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
- Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics, Harvard
University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Yelena G Bodien
- Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery,
Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical
School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation,
Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA
02129, USA
| | - Joseph T Giacino
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation,
Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA
02129, USA
| | - Joseph J Fins
- Division of Medical Ethics, Weill Cornell Medical
College, New York, NY 10021, USA
- Yale Law School, New Haven,
Connecticut 06511, USA
| | - Robert D Truog
- Center for Bioethics, Harvard Medical
School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Leigh R Hochberg
- Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery,
Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical
School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
- School of Engineering and Carney Institute for Brain
Science, Brown University, Providence, RI 02906, USA
- VA RR&D Center for Neurorestoration and
Neurotechnology, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center,
Providence, RI 02908, USA
| | - Brian L Edlow
- Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery,
Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical
School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging,
Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
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30
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Sokoliuk R, Degano G, Melloni L, Noppeney U, Cruse D. The Influence of Auditory Attention on Rhythmic Speech Tracking: Implications for Studies of Unresponsive Patients. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:702768. [PMID: 34456697 PMCID: PMC8385206 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.702768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Accepted: 07/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Language comprehension relies on integrating words into progressively more complex structures, like phrases and sentences. This hierarchical structure-building is reflected in rhythmic neural activity across multiple timescales in E/MEG in healthy, awake participants. However, recent studies have shown evidence for this “cortical tracking” of higher-level linguistic structures also in a proportion of unresponsive patients. What does this tell us about these patients’ residual levels of cognition and consciousness? Must the listener direct their attention toward higher level speech structures to exhibit cortical tracking, and would selective attention across levels of the hierarchy influence the expression of these rhythms? We investigated these questions in an EEG study of 72 healthy human volunteers listening to streams of monosyllabic isochronous English words that were either unrelated (scrambled condition) or composed of four-word-sequences building meaningful sentences (sentential condition). Importantly, there were no physical cues between four-word-sentences. Rather, boundaries were marked by syntactic structure and thematic role assignment. Participants were divided into three attention groups: from passive listening (passive group) to attending to individual words (word group) or sentences (sentence group). The passive and word groups were initially naïve to the sentential stimulus structure, while the sentence group was not. We found significant tracking at word- and sentence rate across all three groups, with sentence tracking linked to left middle temporal gyrus and right superior temporal gyrus. Goal-directed attention to words did not enhance word-rate-tracking, suggesting that word tracking here reflects largely automatic mechanisms, as was shown for tracking at the syllable-rate before. Importantly, goal-directed attention to sentences relative to words significantly increased sentence-rate-tracking over left inferior frontal gyrus. This attentional modulation of rhythmic EEG activity at the sentential rate highlights the role of attention in integrating individual words into complex linguistic structures. Nevertheless, given the presence of high-level cortical tracking under conditions of lower attentional effort, our findings underline the suitability of the paradigm in its clinical application in patients after brain injury. The neural dissociation between passive tracking of sentences and directed attention to sentences provides a potential means to further characterise the cognitive state of each unresponsive patient.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodika Sokoliuk
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom.,Centre for Human Brain Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Giulio Degano
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom.,Centre for Human Brain Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom.,Brain and Language Lab, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Lucia Melloni
- Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt, Germany.,Department of Neurology, New York University, New York City, NY, United States
| | - Uta Noppeney
- Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Nijmegen, Netherlands.,Department of Biophysics, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Damian Cruse
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom.,Centre for Human Brain Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
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31
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Sanz LRD, Thibaut A, Edlow BL, Laureys S, Gosseries O. Update on neuroimaging in disorders of consciousness. Curr Opin Neurol 2021; 34:488-496. [PMID: 34054109 PMCID: PMC8938964 DOI: 10.1097/wco.0000000000000951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Neuroimaging has acquired a prominent place in the assessment of disorders of consciousness (DoC). Rapidly evolving technologies combined with state-of-the-art data analyses open new horizons to probe brain activity, but selecting appropriate imaging modalities from the plethora of available techniques can be challenging for clinicians. This update reviews selected advances in neuroimaging that demonstrate clinical relevance and translational potential in the assessment of severely brain-injured patients with DoC. RECENT FINDINGS Magnetic resonance imaging and high-density electroencephalography provide measurements of brain connectivity between functional networks, assessments of language function, detection of covert consciousness, and prognostic markers of recovery. Positron emission tomography can identify patients with preserved brain metabolism despite clinical unresponsiveness and can measure glucose consumption rates in targeted brain regions. Transcranial magnetic stimulation and near-infrared spectroscopy are noninvasive and practical tools with promising clinical applications. SUMMARY Each neuroimaging technique conveys advantages and pitfalls to assess consciousness. We recommend a multimodal approach in which complementary techniques provide diagnostic and prognostic information about brain function. Patients demonstrating neuroimaging evidence of covert consciousness may benefit from early adapted rehabilitation. Translating methodological advances to clinical care will require the implementation of recently published international guidelines and the integration of neuroimaging techniques into patient-centered decision-making algorithms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leandro R. D. Sanz
- Coma Science Group, GIGA Consciousness, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
- Centre du Cerveau, University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Aurore Thibaut
- Coma Science Group, GIGA Consciousness, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
- Centre du Cerveau, University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Brian L. Edlow
- Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA USA
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Steven Laureys
- Coma Science Group, GIGA Consciousness, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
- Centre du Cerveau, University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Olivia Gosseries
- Coma Science Group, GIGA Consciousness, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
- Centre du Cerveau, University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium
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32
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Bianciardi M, Izzy S, Rosen BR, Wald LL, Edlow BL. Location of Subcortical Microbleeds and Recovery of Consciousness After Severe Traumatic Brain Injury. Neurology 2021; 97:e113-e123. [PMID: 34050005 PMCID: PMC8279563 DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0000000000012192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2020] [Accepted: 04/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), coma is associated with impaired subcortical arousal mechanisms. However, it is unknown which nuclei involved in arousal (arousal nuclei) are implicated in coma pathogenesis and are compatible with coma recovery. METHODS We mapped an atlas of arousal nuclei in the brainstem, thalamus, hypothalamus, and basal forebrain onto 3 tesla susceptibility-weighted images (SWI) in 12 patients with acute severe TBI who presented in coma and recovered consciousness within 6 months. We assessed the spatial distribution and volume of SWI microbleeds and evaluated the association of microbleed volume with the duration of unresponsiveness and functional recovery at 6 months. RESULTS There was no single arousal nucleus affected by microbleeds in all patients. Rather, multiple combinations of microbleeds in brainstem, thalamic, and hypothalamic arousal nuclei were associated with coma and were compatible with recovery of consciousness. Microbleeds were frequently detected in the midbrain (100%), thalamus (83%), and pons (75%). Within the brainstem, the microbleed incidence was largest within the mesopontine tegmentum (e.g., pedunculotegmental nucleus, mesencephalic reticular formation) and ventral midbrain (e.g., substantia nigra, ventral tegmental area). Brainstem arousal nuclei were partially affected by microbleeds, with microbleed volume not exceeding 35% of brainstem nucleus volume on average. Compared to microbleed volume within nonarousal brainstem regions, the microbleed volume within arousal brainstem nuclei accounted for a larger proportion of variance in the duration of unresponsiveness and 6-month Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended scores. CONCLUSION These results suggest resilience of arousal mechanisms in the human brain after severe TBI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Bianciardi
- From the Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging (M.B., B.R.R., L.L.W., B.L.E.), and Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery, Department of Neurology (B.L.E.), Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School; Division of Sleep Medicine (M.B.), Harvard University; and Department of Neurology (S.I.), Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
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33
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Therapies to Restore Consciousness in Patients with Severe Brain Injuries: A Gap Analysis and Future Directions. Neurocrit Care 2021; 35:68-85. [PMID: 34236624 PMCID: PMC8266715 DOI: 10.1007/s12028-021-01227-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2021] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Background/Objective For patients with disorders of consciousness (DoC) and their families, the search for new therapies has been a source of hope and frustration. Almost all clinical trials in patients with DoC have been limited by small sample sizes, lack of placebo groups, and use of heterogeneous outcome measures. As a result, few therapies have strong evidence to support their use; amantadine is the only therapy recommended by current clinical guidelines, specifically for patients with DoC caused by severe traumatic brain injury. To foster and advance development of consciousness-promoting therapies for patients with DoC, the Curing Coma Campaign convened a Coma Science Work Group to perform a gap analysis. Methods We consider five classes of therapies: (1) pharmacologic; (2) electromagnetic; (3) mechanical; (4) sensory; and (5) regenerative. For each class of therapy, we summarize the state of the science, identify gaps in knowledge, and suggest future directions for therapy development. Results Knowledge gaps in all five therapeutic classes can be attributed to the lack of: (1) a unifying conceptual framework for evaluating therapeutic mechanisms of action; (2) large-scale randomized controlled trials; and (3) pharmacodynamic biomarkers that measure subclinical therapeutic effects in early-phase trials. To address these gaps, we propose a precision medicine approach in which clinical trials selectively enroll patients based upon their physiological receptivity to targeted therapies, and therapeutic effects are measured by complementary behavioral, neuroimaging, and electrophysiologic endpoints. Conclusions This personalized approach can be realized through rigorous clinical trial design and international collaboration, both of which will be essential for advancing the development of new therapies and ultimately improving the lives of patients with DoC. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12028-021-01227-y.
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Claassen J, Akbari Y, Alexander S, Bader MK, Bell K, Bleck TP, Boly M, Brown J, Chou SHY, Diringer MN, Edlow BL, Foreman B, Giacino JT, Gosseries O, Green T, Greer DM, Hanley DF, Hartings JA, Helbok R, Hemphill JC, Hinson HE, Hirsch K, Human T, James ML, Ko N, Kondziella D, Livesay S, Madden LK, Mainali S, Mayer SA, McCredie V, McNett MM, Meyfroidt G, Monti MM, Muehlschlegel S, Murthy S, Nyquist P, Olson DM, Provencio JJ, Rosenthal E, Sampaio Silva G, Sarasso S, Schiff ND, Sharshar T, Shutter L, Stevens RD, Vespa P, Videtta W, Wagner A, Ziai W, Whyte J, Zink E, Suarez JI. Proceedings of the First Curing Coma Campaign NIH Symposium: Challenging the Future of Research for Coma and Disorders of Consciousness. Neurocrit Care 2021; 35:4-23. [PMID: 34236619 PMCID: PMC8264966 DOI: 10.1007/s12028-021-01260-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 04/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Coma and disorders of consciousness (DoC) are highly prevalent and constitute a burden for patients, families, and society worldwide. As part of the Curing Coma Campaign, the Neurocritical Care Society partnered with the National Institutes of Health to organize a symposium bringing together experts from all over the world to develop research targets for DoC. The conference was structured along six domains: (1) defining endotype/phenotypes, (2) biomarkers, (3) proof-of-concept clinical trials, (4) neuroprognostication, (5) long-term recovery, and (6) large datasets. This proceedings paper presents actionable research targets based on the presentations and discussions that occurred at the conference. We summarize the background, main research gaps, overall goals, the panel discussion of the approach, limitations and challenges, and deliverables that were identified.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Claassen
- Department of Neurology, Columbia University and New York-Presbyterian Hospital, 177 Fort Washington Avenue, MHB 8 Center, Room 300, New York City, NY, 10032, USA.
| | - Yama Akbari
- Departments of Neurology, Neurological Surgery, and Anatomy & Neurobiology and Beckman Laser Institute and Medical Clinic, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Sheila Alexander
- Acute and Tertiary Care, School of Nursing and Critical Care Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | | | - Kathleen Bell
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Thomas P Bleck
- Davee Department of Neurology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Melanie Boly
- Department of Neurology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Jeremy Brown
- Office of Emergency Care Research, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Sherry H-Y Chou
- Departments of Critical Care Medicine, Neurology, and Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Michael N Diringer
- Department of Neurology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Brian L Edlow
- Department of Neurology, Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Brandon Foreman
- Departments of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Joseph T Giacino
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Olivia Gosseries
- GIGA Consciousness After Coma Science Group, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium
| | - Theresa Green
- School of Nursing, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, QLD, Australia
| | - David M Greer
- Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Daniel F Hanley
- Division of Brain Injury Outcomes, Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jed A Hartings
- Department of Neurosurgery, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Raimund Helbok
- Neurocritical Care Unit, Department of Neurology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - J Claude Hemphill
- Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - H E Hinson
- Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Karen Hirsch
- Department of Neurology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Theresa Human
- Department of Pharmacy, Barnes Jewish Hospital, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Michael L James
- Departments of Anesthesiology and Neurology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Nerissa Ko
- Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Daniel Kondziella
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Neurology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Sarah Livesay
- College of Nursing, Rush University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Lori K Madden
- Center for Nursing Science, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | - Shraddha Mainali
- Department of Neurology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Stephan A Mayer
- Department of Neurology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, USA
| | - Victoria McCredie
- Interdepartmental Division of Critical Care, Department of Respirology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Molly M McNett
- College of Nursing, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Geert Meyfroidt
- Department of Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospitals Leuven and University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Martin M Monti
- Departments of Neurosurgery and Psychology, Brain Injury Research Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Susanne Muehlschlegel
- Departments of Neurology, Anesthesiology/Critical Care, and Surgery, Medical School, University of Massachusetts, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Santosh Murthy
- Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York City, NY, USA
| | - Paul Nyquist
- Division of Neurosciences Critical Care, Departments of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Neurology, and Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - DaiWai M Olson
- Departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - J Javier Provencio
- Departments of Neurology and Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Eric Rosenthal
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Gisele Sampaio Silva
- Department of Neurology, Albert Einstein Israelite Hospital and Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Simone Sarasso
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences "L. Sacco", Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Nicholas D Schiff
- Department of Neurology and Brain Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York City, NY, USA
| | - Tarek Sharshar
- Department of Intensive Care, Paris Descartes University, Paris, France
| | - Lori Shutter
- Departments of Critical Care Medicine, Neurology, and Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Robert D Stevens
- Division of Neurosciences Critical Care, Departments of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Neurology, and Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Paul Vespa
- Departments of Neurosurgery and Neurology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Walter Videtta
- National Hospital Alejandro Posadas, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Amy Wagner
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Wendy Ziai
- Division of Neurosciences Critical Care, Departments of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Neurology, and Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - John Whyte
- Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute, Elkins Park, PA, USA
| | - Elizabeth Zink
- Division of Neurosciences Critical Care, Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jose I Suarez
- Division of Neurosciences Critical Care, Departments of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Neurology, and Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
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Edlow BL, Naccache L. Unmasking Covert Language Processing in the Intensive Care Unit with Electroencephalography. Ann Neurol 2021; 89:643-645. [PMID: 33491250 PMCID: PMC8048541 DOI: 10.1002/ana.26030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Revised: 01/20/2021] [Accepted: 01/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Brian L Edlow
- Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.,Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA
| | - Lionel Naccache
- PICNIC Lab Team, INSERM, U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Faculté de Médecine de Sorbonne Université, UMR S 1127, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière, ICM, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France.,APHP, Departments of Neurology and of Clinical Neurophysiology, Hôpital de la Salpêtriere, Paris, France
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