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Duan X, Zhang T, Chen Y, Hou X, Huang Q, Li T, Feng Y, Xiao N. Natural course and predictors of consciousness recovery in children with prolonged disorder of consciousness. Sci Rep 2024; 14:17417. [PMID: 39075188 PMCID: PMC11286944 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-68370-2] [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: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 07/23/2024] [Indexed: 07/31/2024] Open
Abstract
Prolonged disorder of consciousness (DoC) is a rising challenge. Pediatric data on diagnosis and prognosis of prolonged DoC were too limited and heterogeneous, making it difficult to define the natural course and evaluate the prognosis. The present study explored the emergence from the Minimally Conscious State (eMCS) incidence at different months postinjury drawing the natural course, and detected the predictors of the incidence in children with prolonged DoC. A hospital-based prospective cohort study was conducted. Kaplan-Meier curves, as well as univariate and multivariate COX regression analysis, were performed. The study enrolled 383 pediatric DoC individuals, including 220 males (57.4%), with an average age of 3.9 (1.9-7.3) years. The median duration between onset and rehabilitation is 30.0 (21.0-46.0) days. At enrollment, the ratio of vegetative state/unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (VS/WUS) to MCS is 78.9%-21.1%. Traumatic brain injury and infection are the major etiologies (36.8% and 37.1%, respectively), followed by hypoxia cerebral injury (12.3%). For children with prolonged DoC, the cumulative incidence of eMCS at months 3, 6, 12, and 24 was 0.510, 0.652, 0.731, 0.784 VS 0.290, 0.418, 0.539, 0.603 in the traumatic VS non-traumatic subgroup, respectively. For children in a persistent vegetative state (PVS), the cumulative incidence of emergence at months in 3, 6, 12, 24, 36 and 48 was testified as 0.439, 0.591, 0.683, 0.724, 0.743 and 0.743 in the traumatic subgroup, and 0.204, 0.349, 0.469, 0.534, 0.589 and 0.620 in the non-traumatic subgroup. Participants who exhibit any of the following four demographical and/or clinical characteristics-namely, older than 4 years at onset, accepted rehabilitation within 28 days of onset, remained MCS at enrollment, or with etiology of traumatic brain injuries-had a significantly positive outcome of consciousness recovery (eMCS). Moreover, both prolongation of the central somatosensory conductive time (CCT) (level 2) and absence of N20 (level 3) independently predict a negative outcome. In children with prolonged DoC, we found that 12 months postinjury was critical to eMCS, and a preferred timepoint to define chronic vegetative state (VS). The characteristics including age, etiology, time before rehabilitation, consciousness state, and SEP results were useful predictors of conscious recovery.Trial registration Registered 06/11/2018, the registration number is chiCTR1800019330 (chictr.org.cn). Registered prospectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoling Duan
- Department of Rehabilitation, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University (CHCMU), Building 8th, 136 Zhongshan 2nd Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400014, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Chongqing, China
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Chongqing, China
- International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Child Development and Critical Disorders, Chongqing, China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Child Neurodevelopment and Cognitive Disorders, Chongqing, China
| | - Ting Zhang
- Department of Rehabilitation, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University (CHCMU), Building 8th, 136 Zhongshan 2nd Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400014, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Chongqing, China
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Chongqing, China
- International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Child Development and Critical Disorders, Chongqing, China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Child Neurodevelopment and Cognitive Disorders, Chongqing, China
| | - Yuxia Chen
- Department of Rehabilitation, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University (CHCMU), Building 8th, 136 Zhongshan 2nd Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400014, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Chongqing, China
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Chongqing, China
- International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Child Development and Critical Disorders, Chongqing, China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Child Neurodevelopment and Cognitive Disorders, Chongqing, China
| | - Xueqin Hou
- Department of Rehabilitation, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University (CHCMU), Building 8th, 136 Zhongshan 2nd Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400014, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Chongqing, China
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Chongqing, China
- International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Child Development and Critical Disorders, Chongqing, China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Child Neurodevelopment and Cognitive Disorders, Chongqing, China
| | - Qiuyi Huang
- Department of Rehabilitation, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University (CHCMU), Building 8th, 136 Zhongshan 2nd Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400014, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Chongqing, China
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Chongqing, China
- International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Child Development and Critical Disorders, Chongqing, China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Child Neurodevelopment and Cognitive Disorders, Chongqing, China
| | - Tingsong Li
- Department of Rehabilitation, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University (CHCMU), Building 8th, 136 Zhongshan 2nd Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400014, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Chongqing, China
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Chongqing, China
- International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Child Development and Critical Disorders, Chongqing, China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Child Neurodevelopment and Cognitive Disorders, Chongqing, China
| | - Ying Feng
- Department of Rehabilitation, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University (CHCMU), Building 8th, 136 Zhongshan 2nd Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400014, China.
- National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Chongqing, China.
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Chongqing, China.
- International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Child Development and Critical Disorders, Chongqing, China.
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Child Neurodevelopment and Cognitive Disorders, Chongqing, China.
| | - Nong Xiao
- Department of Rehabilitation, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University (CHCMU), Building 8th, 136 Zhongshan 2nd Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400014, China.
- National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Chongqing, China.
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Chongqing, China.
- International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Child Development and Critical Disorders, Chongqing, China.
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Child Neurodevelopment and Cognitive Disorders, Chongqing, China.
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Fins JJ, Shulman KS. Neuroethics, Covert Consciousness, and Disability Rights: What Happens When Artificial Intelligence Meets Cognitive Motor Dissociation? J Cogn Neurosci 2024; 36:1667-1674. [PMID: 38579252 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_02157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/07/2024]
Abstract
In this article, we consider the intersection of cognitive motor dissociation (CMD) and artificial intelligence (AI), hence when CMD meets AI. In covert consciousness, there is a discordance between the observed behavior, the traditional bedside mode of assessment, and the response to volitional commands as depicted by neuroimaging or EEG studies. This alphabet soup of acronyms represents both the promise and peril of nascent technology in covert consciousness. On the diagnostic side, there is the complexity and uncertainty of identifying the discordance between cognitive activity and overt behavior. On the therapeutic side, when AI is used to generate speech, there is the possibility of misrepresenting the thoughts and intentions of those who are otherwise voiceless. This concordance of factors makes the application of AI to CMD worthy of deeper consideration. We offer this analysis in the spirit of anticipatory governance, a prudential process by which one plans to prevent or mitigate unintended consequences of novel technology. We first consider the normative challenges posed by CMD for clinical practice, neuroethics, and the law. We then explore the history of covert consciousness and the relationship of severe brain injury to the right-to-die movement, before introducing three biographies of brain injury that highlight the potential impact of disability bias or ableism in clinical practice, assistive technology, and translational research. Subsequently, we explore how AI might give voice to conscious individuals who are unable to communicate and the ethical challenges that this technology must overcome to promote human flourishing drawing upon what Nussbaum and Sen have described as a "capabilities approach" to promote normative reasoning.
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Zeng H, Zeng X, Liu N, Ding Y, Wu J, Zhang F, Xiong N. Development and validation of a nomogram for tracheotomy decannulation in individuals in a persistent vegetative state: A multicentre study. Ann Phys Rehabil Med 2024; 67:101849. [PMID: 38830320 DOI: 10.1016/j.rehab.2024.101849] [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: 11/27/2023] [Revised: 03/12/2024] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Decannulation for people in a persistent vegetative state (PVS) is challenging and relevant predictors of successful decannulation have yet to be identified. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to explore the predictors of tracheostomy decannulation outcomes in individuals in PVS and to develop a nomogram. METHOD In 2022, 872 people with tracheostomy in PVS were retrospectively enrolled and their data was randomly divided into a training set and a validation set in a 7:3 ratio. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were performed on the training set to explore the influencing factors for decannulation and nomogram development. Internal validation was performed using 5-fold cross-validation. External validation was performed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, calibration curves, and decision curve analysis (DCA) on both the training and validation sets. RESULT Data from 610 to 262 individuals were used for the training and validation sets, respectively. The multivariate regression analysis found that duration of tracheostomy tube placement≥30 days (Odds Ratio [OR] 0.216, 95 % CI 0.151-0.310), pulmonary infection (OR 0.528, 95 %CI 0.366-0.761), hypoproteinemia (OR 0.669, 95 % CI 0.463-0.967), no passive standing training (OR 0.372, 95 % CI 0.253-0.547), abnormal swallowing reflex (OR 0.276, 95 % CI 0.116-0.656), mechanical ventilation (OR 0.658, 95 % CI 0.461-0.940), intensive care unit (ICU) duration>4 weeks (OR 0.517, 95 % CI 0.332-0.805), duration of endotracheal tube (OR 0.855, 95 % CI 0.803-0.907), older age (OR 0.981, 95 % CI 0.966-0.996) were risk factors for decannulation failure. Conversely, peroral feeding (OR 1.684, 95 % CI 1.178-2.406), passive standing training≥60 min (OR 1.687, 95 % CI 1.072-2.656), private caregiver (OR 1.944, 95 % CI 1.350-2.799) and ICU duration<2 weeks (OR 1.758, 95 % CI 1.173-2.634) were protective factors conducive to successful decannulation. The 5-fold cross-validation revealed a mean area under the curve of 0.744. The ROC curve C-indexes for the training and validation sets were 0.784 and 0.768, respectively, and the model exhibited good stability and accuracy. The DCA revealed a net benefit when the risk threshold was between 0 and 0.4. CONCLUSION The nomogram can help adjust the treatment and reduce decannulation failure. REGISTRATION Clinical registration is not mandatory for retrospective studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongji Zeng
- School of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, No. 100 Science Avenue, Zhengzhou City, Henan Province 450000, China
| | - Xi Zeng
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine III, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, No.169-10 Nanyang Road, Zhengzhou City, Henan Province 450000, China; The NHC Key Laboratory of Prevention and Treatment of Cerebrovascular Disease, No.1 Jianshe East Road, Zhengzhou City, Henan Province 450000, China.
| | - Nanxi Liu
- Sanquan College, No. 688, East Section of Shixiangyang Road, Xinxiang City, Henan Province 453000, China
| | - Yu Ding
- Department of Neurology, The Second Medical Center, PLA General Hospital, No. 28 Fuxing Road, Beijing City 100000, China
| | - Junfa Wu
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, No. 433 Huashan Road, Shanghai City 200000, China
| | - Fangquan Zhang
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Xinyang Central Hospital, No.1 Siyi Road, Xinyang City, Henan Province 464000, China
| | - Nana Xiong
- Peking University Sixth Hospital, No. 51 Huayuan North Road, Beijing City 101499, China
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Pavlov YG, Spiegelsberger F, Kotchoubey B. Predicting outcome in disorders of consciousness: A mega-analysis. Ann Clin Transl Neurol 2024; 11:1465-1477. [PMID: 38591650 PMCID: PMC11187962 DOI: 10.1002/acn3.52061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2024] [Revised: 03/28/2024] [Accepted: 03/30/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Assessing recovery potential in patients with disorders of consciousness (DoC) is pivotal for guiding clinical and ethical decisions. We conducted a mega-analysis of individual patient data to understand (1) if a time threshold exists, beyond which regaining consciousness is almost impossible, and (2) how recovery varies based on factors such as diagnosis, etiology, age, sex, and neuropsychological status. METHODS A systematic literature search revealed a total of 3290 patients. In this sample, we performed a Cox proportional hazards analysis for interval censored data. RESULTS We observed a late saturation of probability to regain consciousness in Kaplan-Meier curves, and the annual rate of recovery was remarkably stable, in that approximately 35% of patients regained consciousness per year. Patients in minimally conscious state (MCS) recovered more frequently than patients in unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (UWS). No significant difference was observed between the recovery dynamics of MCS subgroups: MCS+ and MCS-. Patients with hypoxic brain lesions showed worse recovery rate than patients with traumatic brain injury and patients with vascular brain lesions, while the latter two categories did not differ from each other. Male patients had moderately better chance to regain consciousness. While younger UWS patients recovered more frequently than older patients, it was not the case in MCS. INTERPRETATION Our findings highlight the necessity for neurologists to exercise caution when making negative predictions in individual cases, challenge traditional beliefs regarding recovery timelines, and underscore the importance of conducting detailed and prolonged assessments to better understand recovery prospects in DoC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuri G. Pavlov
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral NeurobiologyUniversity of TübingenTübingen72076Germany
| | - Franziska Spiegelsberger
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral NeurobiologyUniversity of TübingenTübingen72076Germany
| | - Boris Kotchoubey
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral NeurobiologyUniversity of TübingenTübingen72076Germany
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Wang X, Yang Y, Laforge G, Chen X, Norton L, Owen AM, He J, Cong F. Global Field Time-Frequency Representation-Based Discriminative Similarity Analysis of Passive Auditory ERPs for Diagnosis of Disorders of Consciousness. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng 2024; 71:1820-1830. [PMID: 38215326 DOI: 10.1109/tbme.2024.3353110] [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: 01/14/2024]
Abstract
Behavioural diagnosis of patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC) is challenging and prone to inaccuracies. Consequently, there have been increased efforts to develop bedside assessment based on EEG and event-related potentials (ERPs) that are more sensitive to the neural factors supporting conscious awareness. However, individual detection of residual consciousness using these techniques is less established. Here, we hypothesize that the cross-state similarity (defined as the similarity between healthy and impaired conscious states) of passive brain responses to auditory stimuli can index the level of awareness in individual DOC patients. To this end, we introduce the global field time-frequency representation-based discriminative similarity analysis (GFTFR-DSA). This method quantifies the average cross-state similarity index between an individual patient and our constructed healthy templates using the GFTFR as an EEG feature. We demonstrate that the proposed GFTFR feature exhibits superior within-group consistency in 34 healthy controls over traditional EEG features such as temporal waveforms. Second, we observed the GFTFR-based similarity index was significantly higher in patients with a minimally conscious state (MCS, 40 patients) than those with unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (UWS, 54 patients), supporting our hypothesis. Finally, applying a linear support vector machine classifier for individual MCS/UWS classification, the model achieved a balanced accuracy and F1 score of 0.77. Overall, our findings indicate that combining discriminative and interpretable markers, along with automatic machine learning algorithms, is effective for the differential diagnosis in patients with DOC. Importantly, this approach can, in principle, be transferred into any ERP of interest to better inform DOC diagnoses.
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Cao T, He S, Wang L, Chai X, He Q, Liu D, Wang D, Wang N, He J, Wang S, Yang Y, Zhao J, Tan H. Clinical neuromodulatory effects of deep brain stimulation in disorder of consciousness: A literature review. CNS Neurosci Ther 2024; 30:e14559. [PMID: 38115730 PMCID: PMC11163193 DOI: 10.1111/cns.14559] [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: 08/26/2023] [Revised: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 11/25/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The management of patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC) presents substantial challenges in clinical practice. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has emerged as a potential therapeutic approach, but the lack of standardized regulatory parameters for DBS in DOC hinders definitive conclusions. OBJECTIVE This comprehensive review aims to provide a detailed summary of the current issues concerning patient selection, target setting, and modulation parameters in clinical studies investigating the application of DBS for DOC patients. METHODS A meticulous systematic analysis of the literatures was conducted, encompassing articles published from 1968 to April 2023, retrieved from reputable databases (PubMed, Embase, Medline, and Web of Science). RESULTS The systematic analysis of 21 eligible articles, involving 146 patients with DOC resulting from acquired brain injury or other disorders, revealed significant insights. The most frequently targeted regions were the Centromedian-parafascicular complex (CM-pf) nuclei and central thalamus (CT), both recognized for their role in regulating consciousness. However, other targets have also been explored in different studies. The stimulation frequency was predominantly set at 25 or 100 Hz, with pulse width of 120 μs, and voltages ranged from 0 to 4 V. These parameters were customized based on individual patient responses and evaluations. The overall clinical efficacy rate in all included studies was 39.7%, indicating a positive effect of DBS in a subset of DOC patients. Nonetheless, the assessment methods, follow-up durations, and outcome measures varied across studies, potentially contributing to the variability in reported efficacy rates. CONCLUSION Despite the challenges arising from the lack of standardized parameters, DBS shows promising potential as a therapeutic option for patients with DOC. However, there still remains the need for standardized protocols and assessment methods, which are crucial to deepen the understanding and optimizing the therapeutic potential of DBS in this specific patient population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianqing Cao
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan HospitalCapital Medical UniversityBeijingChina
- China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological DiseasesBeijingChina
| | - Shenghong He
- Medical Research Council Brain Network Dynamics Unit, Nuffield Department of Clinical NeurosciencesUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - Luchen Wang
- School of Information Science and TechnologyFudan UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Xiaoke Chai
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan HospitalCapital Medical UniversityBeijingChina
- China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological DiseasesBeijingChina
| | - Qiheng He
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan HospitalCapital Medical UniversityBeijingChina
- China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological DiseasesBeijingChina
| | - Dongsheng Liu
- Department of NeurosurgeryAviation General HospitalBeijingChina
| | - Dong Wang
- Department of NeurosurgeryGanzhou People's HospitalGanzhouJiangxi ProvinceChina
| | - Nan Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan HospitalCapital Medical UniversityBeijingChina
- China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological DiseasesBeijingChina
| | - Jianghong He
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan HospitalCapital Medical UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Shouyang Wang
- School of Information Science and TechnologyFudan UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Yi Yang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan HospitalCapital Medical UniversityBeijingChina
- China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological DiseasesBeijingChina
- Medical Research Council Brain Network Dynamics Unit, Nuffield Department of Clinical NeurosciencesUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
- Chinese Institute for Brain ResearchBeijingChina
- Beijing Institute of Brain DisordersBeijingChina
| | - Jizong Zhao
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan HospitalCapital Medical UniversityBeijingChina
- China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological DiseasesBeijingChina
| | - Huiling Tan
- Medical Research Council Brain Network Dynamics Unit, Nuffield Department of Clinical NeurosciencesUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
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Herr R, Regnier A, Belorgeot M, Mélotte E, Simon J, Sanz LRD, Lejeune N, Chavet V, Paluszkiewicz J, Pellas F, Chevallier JB, Laureys S, Kaux JF, Gosseries O. Swallowing Assessment in Post-Comatose Patients: A Feasibility Study on the SWADOC Tool. J Clin Med 2024; 13:3268. [PMID: 38892977 PMCID: PMC11173236 DOI: 10.3390/jcm13113268] [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: 03/29/2024] [Revised: 05/10/2024] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Background: After a severe brain injury and a coma, patients may develop disorders of consciousness (DoC), frequently accompanied by severe dysphagia. The evaluation and therapy of swallowing are therefore essential aspects of their management. Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the SWallowing Assessment in Disorders of Consciousness (SWADOC) tool in the assessment of swallowing in post-comatose patients. Here, we validate its quantitative items, describe preliminary results and identify limitations. Methods: Fourteen post-comatose patients were repeatedly evaluated with the Simplified Evaluation of CONsciousness Disorders (SECONDs) and with the SWADOC. Results: The internal consistency of the oral and pharyngeal subscales of the SWADOC was good. The test-retest reliability showed that all items, all subscores and the total score were stable except for two items (endo-buccal secretions and bronchial congestion). A comparison to the Facial Oral Tract Therapy Swallowing Assessment of Saliva (F.O.T.T-SAS) confirmed that scoring with the SWADOC offers a greater potential for quantitative observations in assessing swallowing abilities among patients with DoC. The SECONDs scores and SWADOC total scores showed a significant positive correlation (τ = 0.78, p < 0.001). Conclusions: This study provides preliminary but encouraging results on the psychometric properties of the SWADOC tool. It shows that this tool is relevant and feasible as a bedside assessment of dysphagia in patients with DoC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roxanne Herr
- Neurology Department, Haguenau Hospital, 67500 Haguenau, France;
| | - Amandine Regnier
- Coma Science Group, GIGA-Consciousness, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium; (A.R.); (E.M.); (L.R.D.S.); (N.L.); (S.L.)
- Centre du Cerveau2, University Hospital of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
- Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Medicine Department, University of Liège and University Hospital of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium;
| | - Marion Belorgeot
- Physical Medecine and Rehabilitation Medicine Department, University Hospital of Nîmes, 30029 Nîmes, France; (M.B.); (F.P.)
| | - Evelyne Mélotte
- Coma Science Group, GIGA-Consciousness, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium; (A.R.); (E.M.); (L.R.D.S.); (N.L.); (S.L.)
- Centre du Cerveau2, University Hospital of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
| | - Jessica Simon
- Psychology and Neuroscience of Cognition Research Unit (PsyNCog), University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium;
| | - Leandro R. D. Sanz
- Coma Science Group, GIGA-Consciousness, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium; (A.R.); (E.M.); (L.R.D.S.); (N.L.); (S.L.)
- Centre du Cerveau2, University Hospital of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
| | - Nicolas Lejeune
- Coma Science Group, GIGA-Consciousness, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium; (A.R.); (E.M.); (L.R.D.S.); (N.L.); (S.L.)
- Centre du Cerveau2, University Hospital of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
- William Lennox Neurological Hospital Center, 1340 Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
- Institute of NeuroScience, Université Catholique de Louvain, 1200 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Valérie Chavet
- Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Medicine Department, Center for Traumatology and Rehabilitation Erasme, 1070 Brussels, Belgium;
| | - Jenny Paluszkiewicz
- Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Medicine Department, Neurological Center for Functional Rehabilitation, University Hospital of Liège, 4557 Fraiture, Belgium;
| | - Frédéric Pellas
- Physical Medecine and Rehabilitation Medicine Department, University Hospital of Nîmes, 30029 Nîmes, France; (M.B.); (F.P.)
| | | | - Steven Laureys
- Coma Science Group, GIGA-Consciousness, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium; (A.R.); (E.M.); (L.R.D.S.); (N.L.); (S.L.)
- Centre du Cerveau2, University Hospital of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
- Joint International Research Unit on Consciousness, CERVO Brain Research Centre, Laval University, Québec, QC G1J2G3, Canada
| | - Jean-François Kaux
- Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Medicine Department, University of Liège and University Hospital of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium;
| | - Olivia Gosseries
- Coma Science Group, GIGA-Consciousness, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium; (A.R.); (E.M.); (L.R.D.S.); (N.L.); (S.L.)
- Centre du Cerveau2, University Hospital of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
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Wan X, Zhang Y, Li Y, Song W. An update on noninvasive neuromodulation in the treatment of patients with prolonged disorders of consciousness. CNS Neurosci Ther 2024; 30:e14757. [PMID: 38747078 PMCID: PMC11094579 DOI: 10.1111/cns.14757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2023] [Revised: 04/16/2024] [Accepted: 04/28/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND With the improvement of emergency techniques, the survival rate of patients with severe brain injury has increased. However, this has also led to an annual increase in the number of patients with prolonged disorders of consciousness (pDoC). Hence, recovery of consciousness is an important part of treatment. With advancing techniques, noninvasive neuromodulation seems a promising intervention. The objective of this review was to summarize the latest techniques and provide the basis for protocols of noninvasive neuromodulations in pDoC. METHODS This review summarized the advances in noninvasive neuromodulation in the treatment of pDoC in the last 5 years. RESULTS Variable techniques of neuromodulation are used in pDoC. Transcranial ultrasonic stimulation (TUS) and transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) are very new techniques, while transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) are still the hotspots in pDoC. Median nerve electrical stimulation (MNS) has received little attention in the last 5 years. CONCLUSIONS Noninvasive neuromodulation is a valuable and promising technique to treat pDoC. Further studies are needed to determine a unified stimulus protocol to achieve optimal effects as well as safety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoping Wan
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Xuan Wu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Ye Zhang
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Xuan Wu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Yanhua Li
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Xuan Wu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Weiqun Song
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Xuan Wu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
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Wijdicks EFM. A Comatose State in Search of a Name: A History of Its Terminology and Semiology. Neurocrit Care 2024:10.1007/s12028-024-01973-9. [PMID: 38622486 DOI: 10.1007/s12028-024-01973-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Eelco F M Wijdicks
- Neurocritical Care Services, Saint Marys Campus, Mayo Clinic Hospital, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA.
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10
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Mancuso M, Mencarelli L, Abbruzzese L, Basagni B, Zoccolotti P, Scarselli C, Capitani S, Neri F, Santarnecchi E, Rossi S. Modulation of Corticospinal Excitability during Action Observation in Patients with Disorders of Consciousness. Brain Sci 2024; 14:371. [PMID: 38672020 PMCID: PMC11048666 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14040371] [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: 03/01/2024] [Revised: 04/06/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Brain imaging studies have recently provided some evidence in favor of covert cognitive processes that are ongoing in patients with disorders of consciousness (DoC) (e.g., a minimally conscious state and vegetative state/unresponsive wakefulness syndrome) when engaged in passive sensory stimulation or active tasks such as motor imagery. In this exploratory study, we used transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) of the motor cortex to assess modulations of corticospinal excitability induced by action observation in eleven patients with DoC. Action observation is known to facilitate corticospinal excitability in healthy subjects, unveiling how the observer's motor system maps others' actions onto her/his motor repertoire. Additional stimuli were non-biological motion and acoustic startle stimuli, considering that sudden and loud acoustic stimulation is known to lower corticospinal excitability in healthy subjects. The results indicate that some form of motor resonance is spared in a subset of patients with DoC, with some significant difference between biological and non-biological motion stimuli. However, there was no covariation between corticospinal excitability and the type of DoC diagnosis (i.e., whether diagnosed with VS/UWS or MCS). Similarly, no covariation was detected with clinical changes between admission and discharge in clinical outcome measures. Both motor resonance and the difference between the resonance with biological/non-biological motion discrimination correlated with the amplitude of the N20 somatosensory evoked potentials, following the stimulation of the median nerve at the wrist (i.e., the temporal marker signaling the activation of the contralateral primary somatosensory cortex). Moreover, the startle-evoking stimulus produced an anomalous increase in corticospinal excitability, suggesting a functional dissociation between cortical and subcortical circuits in patients with DoC. Further work is needed to better comprehend the conditions in which corticospinal facilitation occurs and whether and how they may relate to individual clinical parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mauro Mancuso
- Physical and Rehabilitative Medicine Unit, NHS-USL Tuscany South-Est, 58100 Grosseto, Italy;
- Tuscany Rehabilitation Clinic, 52025 Montevarchi, Italy; (L.A.); (P.Z.); (C.S.); (S.C.)
| | - Lucia Mencarelli
- Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche, Chirurgiche e Neuroscienze, Siena Brain Investigation and Neuromodulation (Si-BIN) Lab, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy; (L.M.); (F.N.); (S.R.)
| | - Laura Abbruzzese
- Tuscany Rehabilitation Clinic, 52025 Montevarchi, Italy; (L.A.); (P.Z.); (C.S.); (S.C.)
| | - Benedetta Basagni
- Tuscany Rehabilitation Clinic, 52025 Montevarchi, Italy; (L.A.); (P.Z.); (C.S.); (S.C.)
| | - Pierluigi Zoccolotti
- Tuscany Rehabilitation Clinic, 52025 Montevarchi, Italy; (L.A.); (P.Z.); (C.S.); (S.C.)
| | - Cristiano Scarselli
- Tuscany Rehabilitation Clinic, 52025 Montevarchi, Italy; (L.A.); (P.Z.); (C.S.); (S.C.)
| | - Simone Capitani
- Tuscany Rehabilitation Clinic, 52025 Montevarchi, Italy; (L.A.); (P.Z.); (C.S.); (S.C.)
| | - Francesco Neri
- Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche, Chirurgiche e Neuroscienze, Siena Brain Investigation and Neuromodulation (Si-BIN) Lab, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy; (L.M.); (F.N.); (S.R.)
| | - Emiliano Santarnecchi
- Precision Neuroscience & Neuromodulation Program, Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital & Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA;
| | - Simone Rossi
- Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche, Chirurgiche e Neuroscienze, Siena Brain Investigation and Neuromodulation (Si-BIN) Lab, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy; (L.M.); (F.N.); (S.R.)
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11
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Ge Q, Lu H, Geng X, Chen X, Liu X, Sun H, Guo Z, Sun J, Qi F, Niu X, Wang A, He J, Sun W, Xu L. Serum metabolism alteration behind different etiology, diagnosis, and prognosis of disorders of consciousness. Chin Neurosurg J 2024; 10:12. [PMID: 38594757 PMCID: PMC11003070 DOI: 10.1186/s41016-024-00365-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Patients with disorders of consciousness (DoC) exhibit varied revival outcomes based on different etiologies and diagnoses, the mechanisms of which remain largely unknown. The fluctuating clinical presentations in DoC pose challenges in accurately assessing consciousness levels and prognoses, often leading to misdiagnoses. There is an urgent need for a deeper understanding of the physiological changes in DoC and the development of objective diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers to improve treatment guidance. METHODS To explore biomarkers and understand the biological processes, we conducted a comprehensive untargeted metabolomic analysis on serum samples from 48 patients with DoC. Patients were categorized based on etiology (TBI vs. non-TBI), CRS-R scores, and prognosis. Advanced analytical techniques, including PCA and OPLS-DA models, were employed to identify differential metabolites. RESULTS Our analysis revealed a distinct separation in metabolomic profiles among the different groups. The primary differential metabolites distinguishing patients with varying etiologies were predominantly phospholipids, with a notable decrease in glycerophospholipids observed in the TBI group. Patients with higher CRS-R scores exhibited a pattern of impaired carbohydrate metabolism coupled with enhanced lipid metabolism. Notably, serum concentrations of both LysoPE and PE were reduced in patients with improved outcomes, suggesting their potential as prognostic biomarkers. CONCLUSIONS Our study underscores the critical role of phospholipid metabolism in the brain's metabolic alterations in patients with DoC. It identifies key biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis, offering insights that could lead to novel therapeutic targets. These findings highlight the value of metabolomic profiling in understanding and potentially treating DoC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qianqian Ge
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Hezhen Lu
- China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
- Core Instrument Facility, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medicine, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoli Geng
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Xueling Chen
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoyan Liu
- Core Instrument Facility, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medicine, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Haidan Sun
- Core Instrument Facility, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medicine, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Zhengguang Guo
- Core Instrument Facility, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medicine, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Jiameng Sun
- Core Instrument Facility, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medicine, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Feng Qi
- Core Instrument Facility, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medicine, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Xia Niu
- Core Instrument Facility, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medicine, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Aiwei Wang
- Core Instrument Facility, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medicine, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Jianghong He
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases (NCRC-ND), Beijing, China
| | - Wei Sun
- Core Instrument Facility, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medicine, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
| | - Long Xu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
- China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases (NCRC-ND), Beijing, China.
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12
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Kitano T, Giacino JT, Bodien Y, Waters A, Hioki D, Shinya J, Nakayama T, Ohgi S. Reliability and validation of the Japanese version of the coma recovery scale-revised (CRS-R). Brain Inj 2024; 38:249-259. [PMID: 38329043 DOI: 10.1080/02699052.2024.2309549] [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: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
PRIMARY OBJECTIVE This study aimed to verify the reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R). METHODS Subjects included 59 patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC) due to acquired brain injury. To validate test-retest reliability, Evaluator A assessed the CRS-R twice on the same day (A1, A2). To examine inter-rater reliability, Evaluators A (A2) and B (B) assessed the CRS-R without a time interval. To test concurrent validity, Evaluator A (A1) assessed the CRS-R, Japan Coma Scale (JCS), and the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) consecutively. To validate diagnostic accuracy, we evaluated the degree of agreement between A1 and A2 and between A2 and B in their diagnosis of DOC by CRS-R. RESULTS The test-retest (ρ = 0.92) and inter- (ρ = 0.98) reliability of CRS-R were excellent" and Concurrent validity of CRS-R with JCS (ρ = -0.82) and GCS (ρ = 0.92) were high. Results of DOC diagnosis were consistent for 48/59 cases (κ = 0.82) for A1 and A2 and for 54/59 cases (κ = 0.92) for A2 and B. CONLCUSION The Japanese version of the CRS-R may be as reliable and valid as the original English and other language versions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takayuki Kitano
- Department of Rehabilitation, Hamamatsu Medical Center, Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan
| | - Joseph T Giacino
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Yelena Bodien
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Abigail Waters
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Daichi Hioki
- Department of Rehabilitation, Hamamatsu Medical Center, Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan
| | - Junko Shinya
- Department of Rehabilitation, Hamamatsu Medical Center, Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan
| | - Teiji Nakayama
- Department of Neurosurgery, Hamamatsu Medical Center, Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan
| | - Shohei Ohgi
- Faculty of Rehabilitation Studies, Seirei Christopher University, Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan
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13
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Saporito G, Gentili L, Cacchio A, Casalena A, Necozione S, Ricci A, Venturoni F, Marinangeli F, Pistoia F. Assessment of Frequency and Predictive Value of Comorbidities in Patients With Disorders of Consciousness in the Acute Setting. Neurotrauma Rep 2024; 5:267-276. [PMID: 38515549 PMCID: PMC10956526 DOI: 10.1089/neur.2023.0120] [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] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Medical comorbidities are frequent in patients with disorders of consciousness (DoC) and their impact on outcomes is under investigation. The aim of this study was to investigate patients with DoC in the acute stage and the influence of comorbidities. Patients admitted to intensive care units and neurological units with a diagnosis of coma, vegetative state/unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (VS/UWS), and minimally conscious state (MCS) were investigated through the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), the Coma Recovery Scale - Revised (CRS-R) and the Comorbidities Coma Scale (CoCos). Forty-three patients (21 men and 22 women; mean age at admission: 60.4 ± 21.0) were included in the study. The most frequent diagnosis at admission was coma (72%) followed by VS/UWS (14%) and MCS (14%). The most frequent brain injury was subarachnoid hemorrhage (46%). At the 6-month follow-up, 19 patients had died (44%), 15 showed a full recovery of consciousness (35%), 7 were in a condition of emergence from MCS (16%), and 2 showed a persistent VS/UWS (5%). Forty-two (98%) patients showed at least one comorbidity: presence of life-support device (92.9%), anemia (76.2%), arterial hypertension (66,7%), hydrocephalus (45.3%), and respiratory infections (45.2%) were those most frequently reported. At the Multivariable Cox regression, the presence of renal disease (hazard ratio [HR] 33.37; p = 0.033) and malnutrition (HR 14.52; p = 0.001) were predictors of missed recovery of full consciousness. Although adverse outcomes are generally predicted by the severity of brain damage, the presence of medical comorbidities in an acute phase could influence outcomes and long-term prognosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gennaro Saporito
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, Intensive Care, and Pain Treatment, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Luca Gentili
- Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care Unit, Mazzini Hospital, Teramo, Italy
| | - Angelo Cacchio
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, Intensive Care, and Pain Treatment, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | | | - Stefano Necozione
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, Intensive Care, and Pain Treatment, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Alessandro Ricci
- Department of Neurosurgery, San Salvatore Hospital, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Federica Venturoni
- Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care Unit, Mazzini Hospital, Teramo, Italy
| | - Franco Marinangeli
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, Intensive Care, and Pain Treatment, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
- Department of Anesthesiology, Intensive Care, and Pain Treatment, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Francesca Pistoia
- Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, Intensive Care, and Pain Treatment, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
- Department of Neurology, San Salvatore Hospital, L'Aquila, Italy
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14
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Gallucci A, Varoli E, Del Mauro L, Hassan G, Rovida M, Comanducci A, Casarotto S, Lo Re V, Romero Lauro LJ. Multimodal approaches supporting the diagnosis, prognosis and investigation of neural correlates of disorders of consciousness: A systematic review. Eur J Neurosci 2024; 59:874-933. [PMID: 38140883 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.16149] [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: 12/12/2022] [Revised: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023]
Abstract
The limits of the standard, behaviour-based clinical assessment of patients with disorders of consciousness (DoC) prompted the employment of functional neuroimaging, neurometabolic, neurophysiological and neurostimulation techniques, to detect brain-based covert markers of awareness. However, uni-modal approaches, consisting in employing just one of those techniques, are usually not sufficient to provide an exhaustive exploration of the neural underpinnings of residual awareness. This systematic review aimed at collecting the evidence from studies employing a multimodal approach, that is, combining more instruments to complement DoC diagnosis, prognosis and better investigating their neural correlates. Following the PRISMA guidelines, records from PubMed, EMBASE and Scopus were screened to select peer-review original articles in which a multi-modal approach was used for the assessment of adult patients with a diagnosis of DoC. Ninety-two observational studies and 32 case reports or case series met the inclusion criteria. Results highlighted a diagnostic and prognostic advantage of multi-modal approaches that involve electroencephalography-based (EEG-based) measurements together with neuroimaging or neurometabolic data or with neurostimulation. Multimodal assessment deepened the knowledge on the neural networks underlying consciousness, by showing correlations between the integrity of the default mode network and the different clinical diagnosis of DoC. However, except for studies using transcranial magnetic stimulation combined with electroencephalography, the integration of more than one technique in most of the cases occurs without an a priori-designed multi-modal diagnostic approach. Our review supports the feasibility and underlines the advantages of a multimodal approach for the diagnosis, prognosis and for the investigation of neural correlates of DoCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessia Gallucci
- Ph.D. Program in Neuroscience, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Monza, Italy
- NeuroMi (Neuroscience Center), University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Erica Varoli
- Neurology Service, Department of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Services, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico-Istituto Mediterraneo per i Trapianti e Terapie ad Alta Specializzazione (IRCCS ISMETT), Palermo, Italy
| | - Lilia Del Mauro
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Gabriel Hassan
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, University of Milan, Italy
| | - Margherita Rovida
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Angela Comanducci
- IRCSS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi ONLUS, Milan, Italy
- Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Silvia Casarotto
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, University of Milan, Italy
- IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, Milan, Italy
| | - Vincenzina Lo Re
- Neurology Service, Department of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Services, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico-Istituto Mediterraneo per i Trapianti e Terapie ad Alta Specializzazione (IRCCS ISMETT), Palermo, Italy
| | - Leonor J Romero Lauro
- NeuroMi (Neuroscience Center), University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
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15
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Høybye MT, Andersen LM, Boelsbjerg HB. Making It Count - Tracing Signs of Consciousness and Potentiality in Severe Brain Injury in Denmark. Med Anthropol 2024; 43:115-129. [PMID: 38206318 DOI: 10.1080/01459740.2023.2300080] [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] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
Healthcare professionals use various technologies to evaluate and support patients who have suffered severe brain injuries. They integrate monitoring and sensory assessments into their clinical practice, and these assessments can have an impact on treatment decisions and prognostication. Responses from patients during different interactions are interpreted as "signs of consciousness" when considered contextually relevant. This study is based on anthropological fieldwork conducted in specialized Danish intensive care units, where we explore how signs of consciousness are made to count through practices of enactment. We ethnographically trace how the clinical concept of potential influences the interpretation of signs of consciousness as a complex biosocial practice based on the biomedical assumption that consciousness is a vital indicator of what makes a life. The article provides insights into the potential for recovery as an emergent biosocial practice and contributes to a broader discussion within medical anthropology of the moral landscapes of clinical and experimental borderlands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mette Terp Høybye
- Interacting Minds Centre, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Elective Surgery Center, Silkeborg Regional Hospital, Silkeborg, Denmark
| | - Lise Marie Andersen
- Interacting Minds Centre, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Elective Surgery Center, Silkeborg Regional Hospital, Silkeborg, Denmark
| | - Hanne Bess Boelsbjerg
- Interacting Minds Centre, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
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16
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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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17
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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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18
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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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19
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Coppola L, Smaldone G, Grimaldi AM, Estraneo A, Magliacano A, Soddu A, Ciccarelli G, Salvatore M, Cavaliere C. Peripheral blood BDNF and soluble CAM proteins as possible markers of prolonged disorders of consciousness: a pilot study. Sci Rep 2024; 14:341. [PMID: 38172270 PMCID: PMC10764320 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-50581-8] [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: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Although clinical examination still represents the gold standard for the differential diagnosis of prolonged disorders of consciousness (pDoC), the introduction of innovative markers is essential for diagnosis and prognosis, due to the problem of covert cognition. We evaluated the brain-derived neurotrophic factor protein (BDNF) and the soluble cell adhesion molecules proteins (CAMs) in a cohort of prolonged disorders of consciousness patients to identify a possible application in the clinical context. Furthermore, peripheral blood determinations were correlated with imaging parameters such as white matter hyperintensities (WMH), cranial standardized uptake value (cSUV), electroencephalography (EEG) data and clinical setting. Our results, although preliminary, identify BDNF as a possible blood marker for the diagnosis of pDoC (p value 0.001), the soluble CAMs proteins CD44, Vcam-1, E-selectin (p value < 0.01) and Icam-3 (p value < 0.05) showed a higher peripheral blood value in pDoC compared with control. Finally, soluble Ncam protein could find useful applications in the clinical evolution of the pDoC, showing high levels in the MCS and EMCS subgroups (p value < 0. 001) compared to VS/UWS.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - A Estraneo
- Istituto Di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, Florence, Italy
| | - A Magliacano
- Istituto Di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, Florence, Italy
| | - A Soddu
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Western Institute of Neuroscience, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
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20
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Schnakers C. Assessing consciousness and cognition in disorders of consciousness. NeuroRehabilitation 2024; 54:11-21. [PMID: 38251070 DOI: 10.3233/nre-230140] [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] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
Detecting willful cognition in these patients is known to be challenging due to the patients' motor disabilities and high vigilance fluctuations but also due to the lack of expertise and use of adequate tools to assess these patients in specific settings. This review will discuss the main disorders of consciousness after severe brain injury, how to assess consciousness and cognition in these patients, as well as the challenges and tools available to overcome these challenges and reach an accurate diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Schnakers
- Research Institute, Casa Colina Hospital and Centers for Healthcare, 255 E. Bonita Avenue, Pomona, CA 91769, USA. Tel.: +1 909 596 7733 (ext. 3038); E-mail:
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21
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Robbins NM, Bernat JL. Ethical issues of nosology in disorders of consciousness. NeuroRehabilitation 2024; 54:3-9. [PMID: 38277312 DOI: 10.3233/nre-230120] [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] [Indexed: 01/28/2024]
Abstract
The current classification scheme for severe disorders of consciousness (DoC) has several shortcomings. First, there is no consensus on how to incorporate patients with covert consciousness. Second, there is a mismatch between the definitions of severe DoC, based on consciousness, and the diagnosis of these same DoC, which is based on observable motoric responsiveness. Third, current categories are grouped into large heterogeneous syndromes which share phenotype, but do not incorporate underlying pathophysiology. Here we discuss several ethical issues pertaining to the current nosology of severe DoC. We conclude by proposing a revised nosology which addresses these shortcomings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathaniel M Robbins
- Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA
- Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, USA
| | - James L Bernat
- Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA
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22
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Hu Y, Hu L, Wang Y, Luo X, Zhao X, He L. The effects of non-invasive brain stimulation on disorder of consciousness in patients with brain injury: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trial. Brain Res 2024; 1822:148633. [PMID: 37839670 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2023.148633] [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: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 09/30/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Disorders of consciousness (DOC) result from neural system injury and manifest as changes in arousal or awareness. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects of non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) techniques, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), on consciousness dysfunction in patients with brain disorders. METHODS Literature was systematically searched in Medline, Embase, Cochrane database, Web of Science, EBSCO from inception to May 2023. Only randomized controlled trial with NIBS as an intervention and participants with DOC were included. RESULTS A total of 7 studies with 313 participants were included for meta-analysis. Compared with sham- or placebo-stimulation, NIBS can improve the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised scores significantly (mean difference [MD] = 1.96, 95 % confidence interval [CI] = [1.49; 2.43], P <.0001). CONCLUSION NIBS has a significant positive effect in enhancing the symptoms of DOC. Nevertheless, it is imperative for further investigations comprising high-quality research designs and larger sample sizes in order to comprehensively elucidate the effects of NIBS techniques on diverse targets of stimulation within the population of individuals suffering from DOC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Hu
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The Third People's Hospital of Chengdu, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, 82 Qinglong Street, Chengdu 610014, China.
| | - Linzhe Hu
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The Third People's Hospital of Chengdu, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, 82 Qinglong Street, Chengdu 610014, China.
| | - Yuchan Wang
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The Third People's Hospital of Chengdu, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, 82 Qinglong Street, Chengdu 610014, China.
| | - Xiaozhou Luo
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The Third People's Hospital of Chengdu, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, 82 Qinglong Street, Chengdu 610014, China.
| | - Xin Zhao
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The Third People's Hospital of Chengdu, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, 82 Qinglong Street, Chengdu 610014, China.
| | - Lin He
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, GuoXueXiang 37, Chengdu 610041, China.
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23
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Farisco M, Formisano R, Gosseries O, Kato Y, Koboyashi S, Laureys S, Lejeune N, Martial C, Matar A, Morrisey AM, Schnakers C, Yakufujiang M, Yamaki T, Veeramuthu V, Zandalasini M, Zasler N, Magliacano A, Estraneo A. International survey on the implementation of the European and American guidelines on disorders of consciousness. J Neurol 2024; 271:395-407. [PMID: 37740739 PMCID: PMC10770208 DOI: 10.1007/s00415-023-11956-z] [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: 05/19/2023] [Revised: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/25/2023]
Abstract
Diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic procedures for patients with prolonged disorders of consciousness (pDoCs) vary significantly across countries and clinical settings, likely due to organizational factors (e.g., research vs. non-academic hospitals), expertise and availability of resources (e.g., financial and human). Two international guidelines, one from the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) and one from the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) in collaboration with the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM) and the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), were developed to facilitate consistent practice among professionals working with this challenging patient population. While the recommendations of both guidelines agree in principle, it remains an open issue how to implement them into clinical practice in the care pathway for patients with pDoCs. We conducted an online survey to explore health professional clinical practices related to the management of patients with pDoCs, and compare said practices with selected recommendations from both the guidelines. The survey revealed that while some recommendations are being followed, others are not and/or may require more honing/specificity to enhance their clinical utility. Particular attention should be given to the implementation of a multimodal assessment of residual consciousness, to the detection and treatment of pain, and to the impact of restrictions imposed by COVID-19 pandemics on the involvement of patients' families/representatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michele Farisco
- Centre for Research Ethics and Bioethics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
- Biogem, Biology and Molecular Genetics Research Institute, Ariano Irpino, AV, Italy.
| | | | - Olivia Gosseries
- Coma Science Group, GIGA-Consciousness, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
- Centre du Cerveau, University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Yoko Kato
- Department of Neurosurgery, Fujita Health University Bantane Hospital, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Shigeki Koboyashi
- Division of Neurosurgery, Rehabilitation Center for Traumatic Apallics Chiba, National Agency for Automotive Safety and Victims' Aid, 3-30-1 Isobe, Mihamaku, Chibashi, Chiba, 261-0012, Japan
| | - Steven Laureys
- Coma Science Group, GIGA-Consciousness, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
- Centre du Cerveau, University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium
- CERVO Brain Research Center, University of Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - Nicolas Lejeune
- Coma Science Group, GIGA-Consciousness, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
- CHN William Lennox, Ottignies-Louvain-La Neuve, Belgium
- Institute of NeuroScienceUCLouvain, Ottignies-Louvain-La Neuve, Belgium
| | - Charlotte Martial
- Coma Science Group, GIGA-Consciousness, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
- Centre du Cerveau, University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Amal Matar
- Centre for Research Ethics and Bioethics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Ann-Marie Morrisey
- School of Allied Health, Faculty of Education and Health Sciences, Ageing Research Centre, Health Research Institute, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland
| | - Caroline Schnakers
- Research Institute, Casa Colina Hospital and Centers for Healthcare, Pomona, CA, USA
| | - Maidinamu Yakufujiang
- Division of Neurosurgery, Rehabilitation Center for Traumatic Apallics Chiba, National Agency for Automotive Safety and Victims' Aid, 3-30-1 Isobe, Mihamaku, Chibashi, Chiba, 261-0012, Japan
| | - Tomohiro Yamaki
- Division of Neurosurgery, Rehabilitation Center for Traumatic Apallics Chiba, National Agency for Automotive Safety and Victims' Aid, 3-30-1 Isobe, Mihamaku, Chibashi, Chiba, 261-0012, Japan
| | | | - Matteo Zandalasini
- Unità Spinale, Neuroriabilitazione E Medicina Riabilitativa Intensiva, Dipartimento Di Medicina Riabilitativa, Azienda USL Di Piacenza, Piacenza, Italy
| | - Nathan Zasler
- Concussion Care Centre of Virginia, LTD, Henrico, VA, 23233, USA
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23298, USA
| | - Alfonso Magliacano
- IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi ONLUS, Florence and Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi, AV, Italy
| | - Anna Estraneo
- IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi ONLUS, Florence and Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi, AV, Italy
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24
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Wasserman JA, Brummett AL, Navin MC, Menkes DL. Conscientious Objection to Aggressive Interventions for Patients in a Vegetative State. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOETHICS : AJOB 2023:1-12. [PMID: 38032547 DOI: 10.1080/15265161.2023.2280099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
Some physicians refuse to perform life-sustaining interventions, such as tracheostomy, on patients who are very likely to remain permanently unconscious. To explain their refusal, these clinicians often invoke the language of "futility", but this can be inaccurate and can mask problematic forms of clinical power. This paper explores whether such refusals should instead be framed as conscientious objections. We contend that the refusal to provide interventions for patients very likely to remain permanently unconscious meets widely recognized ethical standards for the exercise of conscience. We conclude that conscientious objection to tracheostomy and other life-sustaining interventions on such patients can be ethical because it does not necessarily constitute a form of invidious discrimination. Furthermore, when a physician frames their refusal as conscientious objection, it makes transparent the value-laden nature of their objection and can better facilitate patient access to the requested treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason Adam Wasserman
- Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine
- Corewell Health - East
- Oakland University Center for Moral Values in Health and Medicine
| | - Abram L Brummett
- Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine
- Corewell Health - East
- Oakland University Center for Moral Values in Health and Medicine
| | - Mark Christopher Navin
- Corewell Health - East
- Oakland University Center for Moral Values in Health and Medicine
- Oakland University
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25
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Gobert F, Corneyllie A, Bastuji H, Berthomier C, Thevenet M, Abernot J, Raverot V, Dailler F, Guérin C, Gronfier C, Luauté J, Perrin F. Twenty-four-hour rhythmicities in disorders of consciousness are associated with a favourable outcome. Commun Biol 2023; 6:1213. [PMID: 38030756 PMCID: PMC10687012 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05588-2] [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: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Fluctuations of consciousness and their rhythmicities have been rarely studied in patients with a disorder of consciousness after acute brain injuries. 24-h assessment of brain (EEG), behaviour (eye-opening), and circadian (clock-controlled hormones secretion from urine) functions was performed in acute brain-injured patients. The distribution, long-term predictability, and rhythmicity (circadian/ultradian) of various EEG features were compared with the initial clinical status, the functional outcome, and the circadian rhythmicities of behaviour and clock-controlled hormones. Here we show that more physiological and favourable patterns of fluctuations are associated with a higher 24 h predictability and sharp up-and-down shape of EEG switches, reminiscent of the Flip-Flop model of sleep. Multimodal rhythmic analysis shows that patients with simultaneous circadian rhythmicity for brain, behaviour, and hormones had a favourable outcome. Finally, both re-emerging EEG fluctuations and homogeneous 24-h cycles for EEG, eye-opening, and hormones appeared as surrogates for preserved functionality in brainstem and basal forebrain, which are key prognostic factors for later improvement. While the recovery of consciousness has previously been related to a high short-term complexity, we suggest in this exploratory study the importance of the high predictability of the 24 h long-term generation of brain rhythms and highlight the importance of circadian body-brain rhythms in awakening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florent Gobert
- Neuro-Intensive care unit, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Neurological hospital Pierre-Wertheimer, 59 Boulevard Pinel, Bron, France.
- Trajectoires Team, Lyon Neuroscience Research Centre (Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, INSERM U1028, CNRS UMR5292), Bâtiment Inserm 16 avenue Doyen Lépine, Bron, France.
- CAP Team (Cognition Auditive et Psychoacoustique), Lyon Neuroscience Research Centre (Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, INSERM U1028, CNRS UMR5292), 95 boulevard Pinel, Bron, France.
| | - Alexandra Corneyllie
- CAP Team (Cognition Auditive et Psychoacoustique), Lyon Neuroscience Research Centre (Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, INSERM U1028, CNRS UMR5292), 95 boulevard Pinel, Bron, France
| | - Hélène Bastuji
- Sleep medicine centre, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Bron, F-69677, France
- Neuropain Team, Lyon Neuroscience Research Centre (Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, INSERM U1028, CNRS UMR5292), 59 Boulevard Pinel, Bron, France
| | | | - Marc Thevenet
- CAP Team (Cognition Auditive et Psychoacoustique), Lyon Neuroscience Research Centre (Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, INSERM U1028, CNRS UMR5292), 95 boulevard Pinel, Bron, France
| | - Jonas Abernot
- CAP Team (Cognition Auditive et Psychoacoustique), Lyon Neuroscience Research Centre (Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, INSERM U1028, CNRS UMR5292), 95 boulevard Pinel, Bron, France
| | - Véronique Raverot
- Hormone Laboratory, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Neurological hospital Pierre-Wertheimer, 59 Boulevard Pinel, Bron, France
| | - Frédéric Dailler
- Neuro-Intensive care unit, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Neurological hospital Pierre-Wertheimer, 59 Boulevard Pinel, Bron, France
| | - Claude Guérin
- Intensive care unit, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Croix-Rousse hospital, 103 Grande-Rue de la Croix-Rousse, Lyon, France
- Intensive care unit, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Édouard Herriot hospital, 5 Place d'Arsonval, 69003, Lyon, France
| | - Claude Gronfier
- Waking team (Integrative Physiology of the Brain Arousal Systems), Lyon Neuroscience Research Centre, INSERM UMRS 1028, CNRS UMR 5292, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Université de Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Jacques Luauté
- Trajectoires Team, Lyon Neuroscience Research Centre (Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, INSERM U1028, CNRS UMR5292), Bâtiment Inserm 16 avenue Doyen Lépine, Bron, France
- Neuro-rehabilitation unit, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Neurological hospital Pierre-Wertheimer, 59 Boulevard Pinel, Bron, France
| | - Fabien Perrin
- CAP Team (Cognition Auditive et Psychoacoustique), Lyon Neuroscience Research Centre (Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, INSERM U1028, CNRS UMR5292), 95 boulevard Pinel, Bron, France
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26
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Oujamaa L, Delon-Martin C, Jaroszynski C, Termenon M, Silva S, Payen JF, Achard S. Functional hub disruption emphasizes consciousness recovery in severe traumatic brain injury. Brain Commun 2023; 5:fcad319. [PMID: 38757093 PMCID: PMC11098044 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcad319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2022] [Revised: 08/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Severe traumatic brain injury can lead to transient or even chronic disorder of consciousness. To increase diagnosis and prognosis accuracy of disorder of consciousness, functional neuroimaging is recommended 1 month post-injury. Here, we investigated brain networks remodelling on longitudinal data between 1 and 3 months post severe traumatic brain injury related to change of consciousness. Thirty-four severe traumatic brain-injured patients were included in a cross-sectional and longitudinal clinical study, and their MRI data were compared to those of 20 healthy subjects. Long duration resting-state functional MRI were acquired in minimally conscious and conscious patients at two time points after their brain injury. The first time corresponds to the exit from intensive care unit and the second one to the discharge from post-intensive care rehabilitation ward. Brain networks data were extracted using graph analysis and metrics at each node quantifying local (clustering) and global (degree) connectivity characteristics. Comparison with brain networks of healthy subjects revealed patterns of hyper- and hypo-connectivity that characterize brain networks reorganization through the hub disruption index, a value quantifying the functional disruption in each individual severe traumatic brain injury graph. At discharge from intensive care unit, 24 patients' graphs (9 minimally conscious and 15 conscious) were fully analysed and demonstrated significant network disruption. Clustering and degree nodal metrics, respectively, related to segregation and integration properties of the network, were relevant to distinguish minimally conscious and conscious groups. At discharge from post-intensive care rehabilitation unit, 15 patients' graphs (2 minimally conscious, 13 conscious) were fully analysed. The conscious group still presented a significant difference with healthy subjects. Using mixed effects models, we showed that consciousness state, rather than time, explained the hub disruption index differences between minimally conscious and conscious groups. While severe traumatic brain-injured patients recovered full consciousness, regional functional connectivity evolved towards a healthy pattern. More specifically, the restoration of a healthy brain functional segregation could be necessary for consciousness recovery after severe traumatic brain injury. For the first time, extracting the hub disruption index directly from each patient's graph, we were able to track the clinical alteration and subsequent recovery of consciousness during the first 3 months following a severe traumatic brain injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lydia Oujamaa
- University Grenoble Alpes, Inserm, U1216, Grenoble Institut Neurosciences, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Chantal Delon-Martin
- University Grenoble Alpes, Inserm, U1216, Grenoble Institut Neurosciences, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Chloé Jaroszynski
- University Grenoble Alpes, Inserm, U1216, Grenoble Institut Neurosciences, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Maite Termenon
- Faculty of Engineering, Biomedical Engineering Department, Mondragon Unibertsitatea (MU-ENG), 20500 Mondragon, Spain
| | - Stein Silva
- Toulouse NeuroImaging Center, Toulouse III Paul Sabatier University, Inserm, 31062 Toulouse, France
- Critical Care Unit, University Teaching Hospital of Purpan, 31059 Toulouse, France
| | - Jean-François Payen
- University Grenoble Alpes, Inserm U1216, Grenoble Institut Neurosciences, CHU Grenoble Alpes, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Sophie Achard
- University Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Inria, Grenoble INP, LJK, 38000 Grenoble, France
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27
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Nakamura Y, Shiozaki T, Ito H, Nakao S, Ogura H, Oda J. Long-Term Outcomes Over 20 Years in Persons With Persistent Disorders of Consciousness After Traumatic Brain Injury. Neurotrauma Rep 2023; 4:805-812. [PMID: 38028278 PMCID: PMC10664559 DOI: 10.1089/neur.2023.0080] [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] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The long-term outcomes of patients with disorders of consciousness after traumatic brain injury (TBI) is unclear. We investigated the long-term outcomes over 20 years in patients who were in a persistent vegetative state (VS). We conducted a retrospective cohort study using a review of medical records and collected data by telephone and written interviews with patients and their families. We included patients who were treated for TBI at our hospital, between October 1996 and January 2003 and who were in a persistent VS, defined as a Disability Rating Scale (DRS) score of ≥22 at 1 month after TBI. The DRS was administered at 1 month, 6 months, 1 year, and then annually out to 20 years. We evaluated their clinical course until July 2021 with the DRS. We analyzed 35 patients in a persistent VS attributable to TBI. We were able to confirm the 20-year outcomes for 26 of the 35 patients (74%); at 20 years post-TBI, 19 (54%) patients were found to be deceased and 7 (20%) were alive. Over the 20-year study period, 23 of the 35 patients (65.7%) emerged from a persistent VS. Among the 35 patients in a persistent VS at 1 month post-TBI, 20 (57%) emerged from a persistent VS within 1 year, and 3 patients (8.6%) emerged from a persistent VS after more than a year after injury. DRS scores improved up to 9 years post-injury, whereas the change in DRS scores from 10 to 20 years post-injury was within ±1 point in all patients. We found that patients with persistent VS attributable to TBI may show improvement in functional disability up to 10 years post-injury. On the other hand, no substantial improvement in functional disability was observed after the 10th year.
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Affiliation(s)
- Youhei Nakamura
- Department of Traumatology and Acute Critical Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan
| | - Tadahiko Shiozaki
- Department of Traumatology and Acute Critical Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Ito
- Department of Traumatology and Acute Critical Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan
| | - Shunichiro Nakao
- Department of Traumatology and Acute Critical Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Ogura
- Department of Traumatology and Acute Critical Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan
| | - Jun Oda
- Department of Traumatology and Acute Critical Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan
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28
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Overbeek BUH, van Erp WS, Eilander HJ, Koopmans RTCM, Lavrijsen JCM. Prevalence of the Minimally Conscious State Among Institutionalized Patients in the Netherlands: A Nationwide Study. Neurology 2023; 101:e2005-e2013. [PMID: 37857492 PMCID: PMC10662977 DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0000000000207820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES The minimally conscious state (MCS) is a prolonged disorder of consciousness (pDoC) and one of the most severe outcomes of acquired brain injury. Prevalence data are scarce. The aim of this study was to establish the nationwide point prevalence of institutionalized patients in MCS in the Netherlands. METHODS This was a descriptive cross-sectional study in which all 86 Dutch hospitals, all 5 specialized pDoC rehabilitation facilities, and all 274 nursing homes were asked whether they were treating patients with a pDoC on the point prevalence date of September 15, 2021. Each patient's legal representative provided informed consent for their inclusion. Patient level of consciousness was verified using the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R) in a single assessment session performed in the facility of residence by an experienced physician. Data on patient demographics, etiology, level of consciousness, facility of residence, and clinical status were collected from a questionnaire by the treating physician. The prevalence of institutionalized patients in MCS of per 100,000 members of the Dutch population was calculated, based on actual census data. RESULTS Seventy patients were reported to have a pDoC, of whom 6 were excluded. The level of consciousness was verified for 49 patients while for 15, it could not be verified. Of the patients verified, 38 had a pDoC, of whom 32 were in MCS (mean age 44.8 years, 68.8% male). The prevalence of institutionalized patients in MCS is 0.2-0.3 per 100,000 Dutch inhabitants. Traumatic brain injury was present in 21 of 32 patients (65.6%). Specialized pDoC rehabilitation was received by 17 of 32 patients (53%), with the rest admitted to nursing homes. The most frequent signs of consciousness on the CRS-R were visual pursuit, reproducible movement to command, and automatic motor response. DISCUSSION This nationwide study revealed a low prevalence of institutionalized patients in MCS in the Netherlands. These findings are now being used to organize pDoC care in this country.
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Affiliation(s)
- Berno U H Overbeek
- From the Department of Primary and Community Care (B.U.H.O., W.S.v.E., H.J.E., R.T.C.M.K., J.C.M.L.), Radboud University Medical Center, Research Institute of Medical Innovation; Kalorama (B.U.H.O.), Beek-Ubbergen; Azora (B.U.H.O.), Terborg; Accolade Zorg (W.S.v.E.), Bosch en Duin; Libra Rehabilitation & Audiology (W.S.v.E.), Tilburg; and Joachim and Anna, Center for Specialized Geriatric Care (R.T.C.M.K.), Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
| | - Willemijn S van Erp
- From the Department of Primary and Community Care (B.U.H.O., W.S.v.E., H.J.E., R.T.C.M.K., J.C.M.L.), Radboud University Medical Center, Research Institute of Medical Innovation; Kalorama (B.U.H.O.), Beek-Ubbergen; Azora (B.U.H.O.), Terborg; Accolade Zorg (W.S.v.E.), Bosch en Duin; Libra Rehabilitation & Audiology (W.S.v.E.), Tilburg; and Joachim and Anna, Center for Specialized Geriatric Care (R.T.C.M.K.), Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Henk J Eilander
- From the Department of Primary and Community Care (B.U.H.O., W.S.v.E., H.J.E., R.T.C.M.K., J.C.M.L.), Radboud University Medical Center, Research Institute of Medical Innovation; Kalorama (B.U.H.O.), Beek-Ubbergen; Azora (B.U.H.O.), Terborg; Accolade Zorg (W.S.v.E.), Bosch en Duin; Libra Rehabilitation & Audiology (W.S.v.E.), Tilburg; and Joachim and Anna, Center for Specialized Geriatric Care (R.T.C.M.K.), Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Raymond T C M Koopmans
- From the Department of Primary and Community Care (B.U.H.O., W.S.v.E., H.J.E., R.T.C.M.K., J.C.M.L.), Radboud University Medical Center, Research Institute of Medical Innovation; Kalorama (B.U.H.O.), Beek-Ubbergen; Azora (B.U.H.O.), Terborg; Accolade Zorg (W.S.v.E.), Bosch en Duin; Libra Rehabilitation & Audiology (W.S.v.E.), Tilburg; and Joachim and Anna, Center for Specialized Geriatric Care (R.T.C.M.K.), Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Jan C M Lavrijsen
- From the Department of Primary and Community Care (B.U.H.O., W.S.v.E., H.J.E., R.T.C.M.K., J.C.M.L.), Radboud University Medical Center, Research Institute of Medical Innovation; Kalorama (B.U.H.O.), Beek-Ubbergen; Azora (B.U.H.O.), Terborg; Accolade Zorg (W.S.v.E.), Bosch en Duin; Libra Rehabilitation & Audiology (W.S.v.E.), Tilburg; and Joachim and Anna, Center for Specialized Geriatric Care (R.T.C.M.K.), Nijmegen, the Netherlands
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Seifi A, Hassannezhad S, Mosaddeghi-Heris R, Haji Kamanaj Olia A, Adib A, Hafeez S, Barthol C. Consciousness Recovery in Traumatic Brain Injury: A Systematic Review Comparing Modafinil and Amantadine. Clin Neuropharmacol 2023; 46:229-238. [PMID: 37962310 DOI: 10.1097/wnf.0000000000000577] [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: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Acute traumatic brain injury is one of the most common causes of death and disability. Reduction in the level of consciousness is a significant complication that can impact morbidity. Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) is the most widely used method of assessing the level of consciousness. Neurostimulants such as amantadine and modafinil are common pharmacologic agents that increase GCS in patients with brain trauma. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of these 2 drugs. METHODS This systematic review obtained articles from Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and MEDLINE databases. Extensive searches were conducted separately by 4 individuals in 3 stages. Ultimately, 16 clinical trials, cohort studies, case reports, and case series articles were obtained after reading the title, abstract, and full text and considering the exclusion criteria. The data of the final article were entered into the analysis table. This study was registered with PROSPERO (registration number CRD42022334409) and conducted in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. RESULTS Amantadine seems to be associated with a higher overall response rate. In contrast, modafinil is associated with the most remarkable change in GCS score during treatment. However, the number of clinical trials with high quality and sample size has not been satisfactory to compare the effectiveness of these 2 drugs and their potential side effects. CONCLUSIONS The authors recommend additional double-blind clinical trials are needed to be conducted with a larger sample size, comparing amantadine with modafinil to delineate the efficacy and adverse effects, both short and long term.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Seifi
- Department of Neurosurgery, UT Health, San Antonio, TX
| | - Sina Hassannezhad
- Neurosciences Research Center (NSRC), Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Reza Mosaddeghi-Heris
- Neurosciences Research Center (NSRC), Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | | | - Ali Adib
- Neurosciences Research Center (NSRC), Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Shaheryar Hafeez
- Division of Neuro Critical Care, Department of Critical Care Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Colleen Barthol
- Department of Pharmacotherapy and Pharmacy Services, University Health System of San Antonio, San Antonio, TX
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Chen W, Maitra R. A practical model-based segmentation approach for improved activation detection in single-subject functional magnetic resonance imaging studies. Hum Brain Mapp 2023; 44:5309-5335. [PMID: 37539821 PMCID: PMC10543117 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26425] [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: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) maps cerebral activation in response to stimuli but this activation is often difficult to detect, especially in low-signal contexts and single-subject studies. Accurate activation detection can be guided by the fact that very few voxels are, in reality, truly activated and that these voxels are spatially localized, but it is challenging to incorporate both these facts. We address these twin challenges to single-subject and low-signal fMRI by developing a computationally feasible and methodologically sound model-based approach, implemented in the R package MixfMRI, that bounds the a priori expected proportion of activated voxels while also incorporating spatial context. An added benefit of our methodology is the ability to distinguish voxels and regions having different intensities of activation. Our suggested approach is evaluated in realistic two- and three-dimensional simulation experiments as well as on multiple real-world datasets. Finally, the value of our suggested approach in low-signal and single-subject fMRI studies is illustrated on a sports imagination experiment that is often used to detect awareness and improve treatment in patients in persistent vegetative state (PVS). Our ability to reliably distinguish activation in this experiment potentially opens the door to the adoption of fMRI as a clinical tool for the improved treatment and therapy of PVS survivors and other patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei‐Chen Chen
- Center for Devices and Radiological HealthFood and Drug AdministrationSilver SpringMarylandUSA
| | - Ranjan Maitra
- Department of StatisticsIowa State UniversityAmesIowaUSA
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31
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Yang Y, He Q, Dang Y, Xia X, Xu X, Chen X, Zhao J, He J. Long-term functional outcomes improved with deep brain stimulation in patients with disorders of consciousness. Stroke Vasc Neurol 2023; 8:368-378. [PMID: 36882201 PMCID: PMC10647871 DOI: 10.1136/svn-2022-001998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been preliminarily applied to treat patients with disorders of consciousness (DoCs). The study aimed to determine whether DBS was effective for treating patients with DoC and identify factors related to patients' outcomes. METHODS Data from 365 patients with DoCs who were consecutively admitted from 15 July 2011 to 31 December 2021 were retrospectively analysed. Multivariate regression and subgroup analysis were performed to adjust for potential confounders. The primary outcome was improvement in consciousness at 1 year. RESULTS An overall improvement in consciousness at 1 year was achieved in 32.4% (12/37) of the DBS group compared with 4.3% (14/328) of the conservative group. After full adjustment, DBS significantly improved consciousness at 1 year (adjusted OR 11.90, 95% CI 3.65-38.46, p<0.001). There was a significant treatment×follow up interaction (H=14.99, p<0.001). DBS had significantly better effects in patients with minimally conscious state (MCS) compared with patients with vegetative state/unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (p for interaction <0.001). A nomogram based on age, state of consciousness, pathogeny and duration of DoCs indicated excellent predictive performance (c-index=0.882). CONCLUSIONS DBS was associated with better outcomes in patients with DoC, and the effect was likely to be significantly greater in patients with MCS. DBS should be cautiously evaluated by nomogram preoperatively, and randomised controlled trials are still needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Yang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- Translational Medicine Center, Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China
- Beijing Institute of Brain Disorders, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Qiheng He
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Yuanyuan Dang
- Department of Neurosurgery, PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoyu Xia
- Department of Neurosurgery, PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Xin Xu
- Department of Neurosurgery, PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Xueling Chen
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Jizong Zhao
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- Academician Office, China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases, Beijing, China
| | - Jianghong He
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
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32
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Carlson JM, Lin DJ. Prognostication in Prolonged and Chronic Disorders of Consciousness. Semin Neurol 2023; 43:744-757. [PMID: 37758177 DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-1775792] [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: 10/03/2023]
Abstract
Patients with prolonged disorders of consciousness (DOCs) longer than 28 days may continue to make significant gains and achieve functional recovery. Occasionally, this recovery trajectory may extend past 3 (for nontraumatic etiologies) and 12 months (for traumatic etiologies) into the chronic period. Prognosis is influenced by several factors including state of DOC, etiology, and demographics. There are several testing modalities that may aid prognostication under active investigation including electroencephalography, functional and anatomic magnetic resonance imaging, and event-related potentials. At this time, only one treatment (amantadine) has been routinely recommended to improve functional recovery in prolonged DOC. Given that some patients with prolonged or chronic DOC have the potential to recover both consciousness and functional status, it is important for neurologists experienced in prognostication to remain involved in their care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia M Carlson
- Division of Neurocritical Care, Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina Hospital, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - David J Lin
- Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery, Division of Neurocritical Care and Stroke Service, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Center for Neurorestoration and Neurotechnology, Rehabilitation Research and Development Service, Department of Veterans Affairs, Providence, Rhode Island
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Arandjelović O. Resolving the ethical quagmire of the persistent vegetative state. J Eval Clin Pract 2023; 29:1108-1118. [PMID: 37157947 DOI: 10.1111/jep.13848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A patient is diagnosed with the persistent vegetative state (PVS) when they show no evidence of the awareness of the self or the environment for an extended period of time. The chance of recovery of any mental function or the ability to interact in a meaningful way is low. Though rare, the condition, considering its nature as a state outwith the realm of the conscious, coupled with the trauma experienced by the patient's kin as well as health care staff confronted with painful decisions regarding the patient's care, has attracted a considerable amount of discussion within the bioethics community. AIMS At present, there is a wealth of literature that discusses the relevant neurology, that elucidates the plethora of ethical challenges in understanding and dealing with the condition, and that analyses the real-world cases which have prominently featured in the mainstream media as a result of emotionally charged, divergent views concerning the provision of care to the patient. However, there is scarcely anything in the published scholarly literature that proposes concrete and practically actionable solutions to the now widely recognized moral conundrums. The present article describes a step in that direction. MATERIALS & METHODS I start from the very foundations, laying out a sentientist approach which serves as the basis for the consequent moral decision-making, and then proceed to systematically identify and deconstruct the different cases of discord, using the aforementioned foundations as the basis for their resolution. RESULTS A major intellectual contribution concerns the fluidity of the duty of care which I argue is demanded by the sentientist focus. DISCUSSION The said duty is shown initially to have for its object the patient, which depending on the circumstances, can change to the patient's kin, or the health care staff themselves. CONCLUSION In conclusion, the proposed framework represents the first comprehensive proposal regarding the decision-making processes involved in the deliberation on the provision of life sustaining treatment to a patient in a PVS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ognjen Arandjelović
- School of Computer Science, North Haugh, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
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Boerwinkle VL, Gillette K, Rubinos CA, Broman-Fulks J, Aseem F, DeHoff GK, Arhin M, Cediel E, Strohm T. Functional MRI for Acute Covert Consciousness: Emerging Data and Implementation Case Series. Semin Neurol 2023; 43:712-734. [PMID: 37788679 DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-1775845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/05/2023]
Abstract
Although research studies have begun to demonstrate relationships between disorders of consciousness and brain network biomarkers, there are limited data on the practical aspects of obtaining such network biomarkers to potentially guide care. As the state of knowledge continues to evolve, guidelines from professional societies such as the American and European Academies of Neurology and many experts have advocated that the risk-benefit ratio for the assessment of network biomarkers has begun to favor their application toward potentially detecting covert consciousness. Given the lack of detailed operationalization guidance and the context of the ethical implications, herein we offer a roadmap based on local institutional experience with the implementation of functional MRI in the neonatal, pediatric, and adult intensive care units of our local government-supported health system. We provide a case-based demonstrative approach intended to review the current literature and to assist with the initiation of such services at other facilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Varina L Boerwinkle
- Division of Child Neurology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Kirsten Gillette
- Division of Child Neurology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Clio A Rubinos
- Division of Neurocritical Care, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Jordan Broman-Fulks
- Division of Child Neurology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Fazila Aseem
- Division of Neurocritical Care, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Grace K DeHoff
- Division of Neurocritical Care, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Martin Arhin
- Division of Child Neurology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Emilio Cediel
- Division of Child Neurology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Tamara Strohm
- Division of Neurocritical Care, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
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35
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Meier LJ. Memories without Survival: Personal Identity and the Ascending Reticular Activating System. THE JOURNAL OF MEDICINE AND PHILOSOPHY 2023; 48:478-491. [PMID: 37314862 PMCID: PMC10501180 DOI: 10.1093/jmp/jhad028] [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] [Indexed: 06/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Lockean views of personal identity maintain that we are essentially persons who persist diachronically by virtue of being psychologically continuous with our former selves. In this article, I present a novel objection to this variant of psychological accounts, which is based on neurophysiological characteristics of the brain. While the mental states that constitute said psychological continuity reside in the cerebral hemispheres, so that for the former to persist only the upper brain must remain intact, being conscious additionally requires that a structure originating in the brainstem-the ascending reticular activating system-be functional. Hence, there can be situations in which even small brainstem lesions render individuals irreversibly comatose and thus forever preclude access to their mental states, while the neural correlates of the states themselves are retained. In these situations, Lockeans are forced to regard as fulfilled their criterion of diachronic persistence since psychological continuity, as they construe it, is not disrupted. Deeming an entity that is never again going to have any mental experiences to be a person, however, is an untenable position for a psychological account to adopt. In their current form, Lockean views of personal identity are therefore incompatible with human neurophysiology.
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36
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He J, Zhang H, Dang Y, Zhuang Y, Ge Q, Yang Y, Xu L, Xia X, Laureys S, Yu S, Zhang W. Electrophysiological characteristics of CM-pf in diagnosis and outcome of patients with disorders of consciousness. Brain Stimul 2023; 16:1522-1532. [PMID: 37778457 DOI: 10.1016/j.brs.2023.09.021] [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: 01/11/2023] [Revised: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Deep brain stimulation (DBS) in the centromedian-parafascicular complex (CM-pf) has been reported as a potential therapeutic option for disorders of consciousness (DoC). However, the lack of understanding of its electrophysiological characteristics limits the improvement of therapeutic effect. OBJECTIVE To investigate the CM-pf electrophysiological characteristics underlying disorders of consciousness (DoC) and its recovery. METHODS We collected the CM-pf electrophysiological signals from 23 DoC patients who underwent central thalamus DBS (CT-DBS) surgery. Five typical electrophysiological features were extracted, including neuronal firing properties, multiunit activity (MUA) properties, signal stability, spike-MUA synchronization strength (syncMUA), and the background noise level. Their correlations with the consciousness level, the outcome, and the primary clinical factors of DoC were analyzed. RESULTS 11 out of 23 patients (0/2 chronic coma, 5/13 unresponsive wakefulness syndrome/vegetative state (UWS/VS), 6/8 minimally conscious state minus (MCS-)) exhibited an improvement in the level of consciousness after CT-DBS. In CM-pf, significantly stronger gamma band syncMUA strength and alpha band normalized MUA power were found in MCS- patients. In addition, higher firing rates, stronger high-gamma band MUA power and alpha band normalized power, and more stable theta oscillation were correlated with better outcomes. Besides, we also identified electrophysiological properties that are correlated with clinical factors, including etiologies, age, and duration of DoC. CONCLUSION We provide comprehensive analyses of the electrophysiological characteristics of CM-pf in DoC patients. Our results support the 'mesocircuit' hypothesis, one proposed mechanism of DoC recovery, and reveal CM-pf electrophysiological features that are crucial for understanding the pathogenesis of DoC, predicting its recovery, and explaining the effect of clinical factors on DoC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianghong He
- Neurosurgery Center, The National Key Clinical Specialty, The Engineering Technology Research Center of Education Ministry of China on Diagnosis and Treatment of Cerebrovascular Disease, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory on Brain Function Repair and Regeneration, The Neurosurgery Institute of Guangdong Province, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, China; Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100070, China
| | - Haoran Zhang
- Laboratory of Brain Atlas and Brain-inspired Intelligence, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China; School of Future Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yuanyuan Dang
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100853, China
| | - Yutong Zhuang
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Second School of Clinical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qianqian Ge
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100070, China
| | - Yi Yang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100070, China
| | - Long Xu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100070, China
| | - Xiaoyu Xia
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Seventh Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100700, China
| | - Steven Laureys
- CERVO Brain Research Centre, Laval University, Canada; Coma Science Group, GIGA Consciousness Research Unit, Liège University Hospital, Belgium; International Consciousness Science Institute, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Shan Yu
- Laboratory of Brain Atlas and Brain-inspired Intelligence, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China; School of Future Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
| | - Wangming Zhang
- Neurosurgery Center, The National Key Clinical Specialty, The Engineering Technology Research Center of Education Ministry of China on Diagnosis and Treatment of Cerebrovascular Disease, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory on Brain Function Repair and Regeneration, The Neurosurgery Institute of Guangdong Province, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, China.
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Kreitmair KV. On the ethical permissibility of in situ reperfusion in cardiac transplantation after the declaration of circulatory death. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ETHICS 2023:jme-2022-108819. [PMID: 37541783 DOI: 10.1136/jme-2022-108819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/15/2023] [Indexed: 08/06/2023]
Abstract
Transplant surgeons in the USA have begun performing a novel organ procurement protocol in the setting of circulatory death. Unlike traditional donation after circulatory death (DCD) protocols, in situ normothermic perfusion DCD involves reperfusing organs, including the heart, while still contained in the donor body. Some commentators, including the American College of Physicians, have claimed that in situ reperfusion after circulatory death violates the widely accepted Dead Donor Rule (DDR) and conclude that in situ reperfusion is ethically impermissible. In this paper I argue that, in terms of respecting the DDR, in situ reperfusion cardiac transplantation does not differ from traditional DCD cardiac transplantation. I do this by introducing and defending a refined conception of circulatory death, namely vegetative state function permanentism I also argue against the controversial brain occlusion feature of the in situ reperfusion DCD protocol, on the basis that it is ethically unnecessary and generates the problematic appearance of ethical dubiousness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karola Veronika Kreitmair
- Medical History and Bioethics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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Xu L, Ge Q, Lu H, Zhuang Y, Geng X, Chen X, Liu X, Sun H, Guo Z, Sun J, Qi F, Niu X, Wang A, Sun W, He J. Cerebrospinal fluid metabolite alterations in patients with different etiologies, diagnoses, and prognoses of disorders of consciousness. Brain Behav 2023; 13:e3070. [PMID: 37421239 PMCID: PMC10454269 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.3070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2022] [Revised: 04/29/2023] [Accepted: 03/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/10/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Medical management of disorders of consciousness (DoC) is a growing issue imposing a major burden on families and societies. Recovery rates vary widely among patients with DoC, and recovery predictions strongly influence decisions on medical care. However, the specific mechanisms underlying different etiologies, consciousness levels, and prognoses are still unclear. METHODS We analyzed the comprehensive cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) metabolome through liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Metabolomic analyses were used to identify the metabolic differences between patients with different etiologies, diagnoses, and prognoses. RESULTS We found that the CSF levels of multiple acylcarnitines were lower in patients with traumatic DoC, suggesting mitochondrial function preservation in the CNS, which might contribute to the better consciousness outcomes of these patients. Metabolites related to glutamate and GABA metabolism were altered and showed a good ability to distinguish the patients in the minimally conscious state and the vegetative state. Moreover, we identified 8 phospholipids as potential biomarkers to predict the recovery of consciousness. CONCLUSIONS Our findings shed light on the differences in physiological activities underlying DoC with different etiologies and identified some potential biomarkers used for DoC diagnosis and prognosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Long Xu
- Department of NeurosurgeryBeijing Tiantan HospitalCapital Medical UniversityBeijingChina
- Department of NeurosurgeryChina National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases (NCRC‐ND)BeijingChina
| | - Qianqian Ge
- Department of NeurosurgeryBeijing Tiantan HospitalCapital Medical UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Hezhen Lu
- Department of clinical laboratoryChina‐Japan Union Hospital of Jilin UniversityChangchunChina
- Core Instrument Facility, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic MedicinePeking Union Medical CollegeBeijingChina
| | - Yutong Zhuang
- Department of NeurosurgeryBeijing Tiantan HospitalCapital Medical UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Xiaoli Geng
- Department of NeurosurgeryBeijing Tiantan HospitalCapital Medical UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Xueling Chen
- Department of NeurosurgeryBeijing Tiantan HospitalCapital Medical UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Xiaoyan Liu
- Core Instrument Facility, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic MedicinePeking Union Medical CollegeBeijingChina
| | - Haidan Sun
- Core Instrument Facility, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic MedicinePeking Union Medical CollegeBeijingChina
| | - Zhengguang Guo
- Core Instrument Facility, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic MedicinePeking Union Medical CollegeBeijingChina
| | - Jiameng Sun
- Core Instrument Facility, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic MedicinePeking Union Medical CollegeBeijingChina
| | - Feng Qi
- Core Instrument Facility, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic MedicinePeking Union Medical CollegeBeijingChina
| | - Xia Niu
- Core Instrument Facility, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic MedicinePeking Union Medical CollegeBeijingChina
| | - Aiwei Wang
- Core Instrument Facility, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic MedicinePeking Union Medical CollegeBeijingChina
| | - Wei Sun
- Core Instrument Facility, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic MedicinePeking Union Medical CollegeBeijingChina
| | - Jianghong He
- Department of NeurosurgeryBeijing Tiantan HospitalCapital Medical UniversityBeijingChina
- Department of NeurosurgeryChina National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases (NCRC‐ND)BeijingChina
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Banoei MM, Lee CH, Hutchison J, Panenka W, Wellington C, Wishart DS, Winston BW. Using metabolomics to predict severe traumatic brain injury outcome (GOSE) at 3 and 12 months. Crit Care 2023; 27:295. [PMID: 37481590 PMCID: PMC10363297 DOI: 10.1186/s13054-023-04573-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/24/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prognostication is very important to clinicians and families during the early management of severe traumatic brain injury (sTBI), however, there are no gold standard biomarkers to determine prognosis in sTBI. As has been demonstrated in several diseases, early measurement of serum metabolomic profiles can be used as sensitive and specific biomarkers to predict outcomes. METHODS We prospectively enrolled 59 adults with sTBI (Glasgow coma scale, GCS ≤ 8) in a multicenter Canadian TBI (CanTBI) study. Serum samples were drawn for metabolomic profiling on the 1st and 4th days following injury. The Glasgow outcome scale extended (GOSE) was collected at 3- and 12-months post-injury. Targeted direct infusion liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (DI/LC-MS/MS) and untargeted proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-NMR) were used to profile serum metabolites. Multivariate analysis was used to determine the association between serum metabolomics and GOSE, dichotomized into favorable (GOSE 5-8) and unfavorable (GOSE 1-4), outcomes. RESULTS Serum metabolic profiles on days 1 and 4 post-injury were highly predictive (Q2 > 0.4-0.5) and highly accurate (AUC > 0.99) to predict GOSE outcome at 3- and 12-months post-injury and mortality at 3 months. The metabolic profiles on day 4 were more predictive (Q2 > 0.55) than those measured on day 1 post-injury. Unfavorable outcomes were associated with considerable metabolite changes from day 1 to day 4 compared to favorable outcomes. Increased lysophosphatidylcholines, acylcarnitines, energy-related metabolites (glucose, lactate), aromatic amino acids, and glutamate were associated with poor outcomes and mortality. DISCUSSION Metabolomic profiles were strongly associated with the prognosis of GOSE outcome at 3 and 12 months and mortality following sTBI in adults. The metabolic phenotypes on day 4 post-injury were more predictive and significant for predicting the sTBI outcome compared to the day 1 sample. This may reflect the larger contribution of secondary brain injury (day 4) to sTBI outcome. Patients with unfavorable outcomes demonstrated more metabolite changes from day 1 to day 4 post-injury. These findings highlighted increased concentration of neurobiomarkers such as N-acetylaspartate (NAA) and tyrosine, decreased concentrations of ketone bodies, and decreased urea cycle metabolites on day 4 presenting potential metabolites to predict the outcome. The current findings strongly support the use of serum metabolomics, that are shown to be better than clinical data, in determining prognosis in adults with sTBI in the early days post-injury. Our findings, however, require validation in a larger cohort of adults with sTBI to be used for clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad M Banoei
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Chel Hee Lee
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - James Hutchison
- Department of Pediatrics and Critical Care and Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Program, SickKids and Interdepartmental Division of Critical Care and Institute for Medical Science, The University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - William Panenka
- BC Mental Health and Substance Use Research Institute and the Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Colombia, British Colombia, Canada
| | - Cheryl Wellington
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, British Colombia, Canada
| | - David S Wishart
- Department of Biological Sciences, Computing Sciences and Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Alberta, Canada
| | - Brent W Winston
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, Medicine and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Calgary, Health Research Innovation Center (HRIC), Room 4C64, 3280 Hospital Drive N.W., Calgary, AB, T2N 4Z6, Canada.
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40
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Plosnić G, Raguž M, Deletis V, Chudy D. Dysfunctional connectivity as a neurophysiologic mechanism of disorders of consciousness: a systematic review. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1166187. [PMID: 37539385 PMCID: PMC10394244 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1166187] [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: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Disorders of consciousness (DOC) has been an object of numbers of research regarding the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis in last few decades. We believe that the DOC could be considered as a disconnection syndrome, although the exact mechanisms are not entirely understood. Moreover, different conceptual frameworks highly influence results interpretation. The aim of this systematic review is to assess the current knowledge regarding neurophysiological mechanisms of DOC and to establish possible influence on future clinical implications and usage. Methods We have conducted a systematic review according to PRISMA guidelines through PubMed and Cochrane databases, with studies being selected for inclusion via a set inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results Eighty-nine studies were included in this systematic review according to the selected criteria. This includes case studies, randomized controlled trials, controlled clinical trials, and observational studies with no control arms. The total number of DOC patients encompassed in the studies cited in this review is 1,533. Conclusion Connectomics and network neuroscience offer quantitative frameworks for analysing dynamic brain connectivity. Functional MRI studies show evidence of abnormal connectivity patterns and whole-brain topological reorganization, primarily affecting sensory-related resting state networks (RSNs), confirmed by EEG studies. As previously described, DOC patients are identified by diminished global information processing, i.e., network integration and increased local information processing, i.e., network segregation. Further studies using effective connectivity measurement tools instead of functional connectivity as well as the standardization of the study process are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Plosnić
- Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Marina Raguž
- Department of Neurosurgery, Dubrava University Hospital, Zagreb, Croatia
- School of Medicine, Catholic University of Croatia, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Vedran Deletis
- Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Darko Chudy
- Department of Neurosurgery, Dubrava University Hospital, Zagreb, Croatia
- School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
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41
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McLaughlin MJ, Vadivelu S, Hartman KC. Rehabilitation Care of the Child with an Acute Severe Traumatic Brain Injury. Pediatr Clin North Am 2023; 70:415-428. [PMID: 37121634 DOI: 10.1016/j.pcl.2023.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Children with traumatic brain injury (TBI) represent a unique and evolving population. Recovery and long-term prognosis are variable given the heterogeneity of ages, developmental stages, and types of injuries. This article summarizes important information regarding severe TBI epidemiology, pathophysiology, classification, and acute management. Early and longitudinal involvement of rehabilitation experts, such as pediatric physiatrists, is critical in managing complications and optimizing outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J McLaughlin
- Children's Mercy - Kansas City/University of Missouri, Kansas City School of Medicine, 2401 Gillham Road, Kansas City, MO 64108, USA; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Kansas School of Medicine, 3901 Rainbow Blvd, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA.
| | - Sathya Vadivelu
- Children's Mercy - Kansas City/University of Missouri, Kansas City School of Medicine, 2401 Gillham Road, Kansas City, MO 64108, USA; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Kansas School of Medicine, 3901 Rainbow Blvd, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA
| | - Kimberly C Hartman
- Children's Mercy - Kansas City/University of Missouri, Kansas City School of Medicine, 2401 Gillham Road, Kansas City, MO 64108, USA; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Kansas School of Medicine, 3901 Rainbow Blvd, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA
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42
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Kumar A, Ridha M, Claassen J. Prognosis of consciousness disorders in the intensive care unit. Presse Med 2023; 52:104180. [PMID: 37805070 PMCID: PMC10995112 DOI: 10.1016/j.lpm.2023.104180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Assessments of consciousness are a critical part of prognostic algorithms for critically ill patients suffering from severe brain injuries. There have been significant advances in the field of coma science over the past two decades, providing clinicians with more advanced and precise tools for diagnosing and prognosticating disorders of consciousness (DoC). Advanced neuroimaging and electrophysiological techniques have vastly expanded our understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying consciousness, and have helped identify new states of consciousness. One of these, termed cognitive motor dissociation, can predict functional recovery at 1 year post brain injury, and is present in up to 15-20% of patients with DoC. In this chapter, we review several tools that are used to predict DoC, describing their strengths and limitations, from the neurological examination to advanced imaging and electrophysiologic techniques. We also describe multimodal assessment paradigms that can be used to identify covert consciousness and thus help recognize patients with the potential for future recovery and improve our prognostication practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aditya Kumar
- Department of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mohamed Ridha
- Department of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jan Claassen
- Department of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY, USA.
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Gervais C, Boucher LP, Villar GM, Lee U, Duclos C. A scoping review for building a criticality-based conceptual framework of altered states of consciousness. Front Syst Neurosci 2023; 17:1085902. [PMID: 37304151 PMCID: PMC10248073 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2023.1085902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The healthy conscious brain is thought to operate near a critical state, reflecting optimal information processing and high susceptibility to external stimuli. Conversely, deviations from the critical state are hypothesized to give rise to altered states of consciousness (ASC). Measures of criticality could therefore be an effective way of establishing the conscious state of an individual. Furthermore, characterizing the direction of a deviation from criticality may enable the development of treatment strategies for pathological ASC. The aim of this scoping review is to assess the current evidence supporting the criticality hypothesis, and the use of criticality as a conceptual framework for ASC. Using the PRISMA guidelines, Web of Science and PubMed were searched from inception to February 7th 2022 to find articles relating to measures of criticality across ASC. N = 427 independent papers were initially found on the subject. N = 378 were excluded because they were either: not related to criticality; not related to consciousness; not presenting results from a primary study; presenting model data. N = 49 independent papers were included in the present research, separated in 7 sub-categories of ASC: disorders of consciousness (DOC) (n = 5); sleep (n = 13); anesthesia (n = 18); epilepsy (n = 12); psychedelics and shamanic state of consciousness (n = 4); delirium (n = 1); meditative state (n = 2). Each category included articles suggesting a deviation of the critical state. While most studies were only able to identify a deviation from criticality without being certain of its direction, the preliminary consensus arising from the literature is that non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep reflects a subcritical state, epileptic seizures reflect a supercritical state, and psychedelics are closer to the critical state than normal consciousness. This scoping review suggests that, though the literature is limited and methodologically inhomogeneous, ASC are characterized by a deviation from criticality, though its direction is not clearly reported in a majority of studies. Criticality could become, with more extensive research, an effective and objective way to characterize ASC, and help identify therapeutic avenues to improve criticality in pathological brain states. Furthermore, we suggest how anesthesia and psychedelics could potentially be used as neuromodulation techniques to restore criticality in DOC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles Gervais
- Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Centre for Advanced Research in Sleep Medicine & Integrated Trauma Centre, Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux du Nord-de-l’île-de-Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Louis-Philippe Boucher
- Centre for Advanced Research in Sleep Medicine & Integrated Trauma Centre, Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux du Nord-de-l’île-de-Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Department of Neuroscience, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Guillermo Martinez Villar
- Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Centre for Advanced Research in Sleep Medicine & Integrated Trauma Centre, Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux du Nord-de-l’île-de-Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - UnCheol Lee
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
- Center for Consciousness Science, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Catherine Duclos
- Centre for Advanced Research in Sleep Medicine & Integrated Trauma Centre, Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux du Nord-de-l’île-de-Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Department of Neuroscience, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
- CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholars Program, Toronto, ON, Canada
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Fingelkurts AA, Fingelkurts AA. Patients with Disorders of Consciousness: Are They Nonconscious, Unconscious, or Subconscious? Expanding the Discussion. Brain Sci 2023; 13:brainsci13050814. [PMID: 37239286 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13050814] [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: 04/24/2023] [Revised: 05/14/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Unprecedented advancements in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with disorders of consciousness (DoC) have given rise to ethical questions about how to recognize and respect autonomy and a sense of agency of the personhood when those capacities are themselves disordered, as they typically are in patients with DoC. At the intersection of these questions rests the distinction between consciousness and unconsciousness. Indeed, evaluations of consciousness levels and capacity for recovery have a significant impact on decisions regarding whether to discontinue or prolong life-sustaining therapy for DoC patients. However, in the unconsciousness domain, there is the confusing array of terms that are regularly used interchangeably, making it quite challenging to comprehend what unconsciousness is and how it might be empirically grounded. In this opinion paper, we will provide a brief overview of the state of the field of unconsciousness and show how a rapidly evolving electroencephalogram (EEG) neuroimaging technique may offer empirical, theoretical, and practical tools to approach unconsciousness and to improve our ability to distinguish consciousness from unconsciousness and also nonconsciousness with greater precision, particularly in cases that are borderline (as is typical in patients with DoC). Furthermore, we will provide a clear description of three distant notions of (un)consciousness (unconsciousness, nonconsciousness, and subconsciousness) and discuss how they relate to the experiential selfhood which is essential for comprehending the moral significance of what makes life worth living.
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45
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Shlobin NA, Aru J, Vicente R, Zemmar A. What happens in the brain when we die? Deciphering the neurophysiology of the final moments in life. Front Aging Neurosci 2023; 15:1143848. [PMID: 37228251 PMCID: PMC10203241 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2023.1143848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
Abstract
When do we die and what happens in the brain when we die? The mystery around these questions has engaged mankind for centuries. Despite the challenges to obtain recordings of the dying brain, recent studies have contributed to better understand the processes occurring during the last moments of life. In this review, we summarize the literature on neurophysiological changes around the time of death. Perhaps the only subjective description of death stems from survivors of near-death experiences (NDEs). Hallmarks of NDEs include memory recall, out-of-body experiences, dreaming, and meditative states. We survey the evidence investigating neurophysiological changes of these experiences in healthy subjects and attempt to incorporate this knowledge into the existing literature investigating the dying brain to provide valuations for the neurophysiological footprint and timeline of death. We aim to identify reasons explaining the variations of data between studies investigating this field and provide suggestions to standardize research and reduce data variability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan A. Shlobin
- Department of Neurosurgery, Henan Provincial People’s Hospital, Henan University School of Medicine, Zhengzhou, China
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Jaan Aru
- Institute of Computer Science, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Raul Vicente
- Institute of Computer Science, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Ajmal Zemmar
- Department of Neurosurgery, Henan Provincial People’s Hospital, Henan University School of Medicine, Zhengzhou, China
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY, United States
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46
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Xu C, Zhu Z, Wu W, Zheng X, Zhong H, Huang X, Xie Q, Qian X. Effects of 10 Hz individualized repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on patients with disorders of consciousness: a study protocol for an exploratory double-blind crossover randomized sham-controlled trial. Trials 2023; 24:249. [PMID: 37005647 PMCID: PMC10067296 DOI: 10.1186/s13063-023-07122-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2022] [Accepted: 01/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/04/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), as a non-invasive brain stimulation technique, has shown potentials for consciousness recovery of patients with disorders of consciousness (DoC), as, to a certain extent, it is effective in regulating the excitability of central nervous system. However, it is difficult to achieve satisfactory effect with "one size fits all" rTMS treatment due to different clinical conditions of patients. There is an urgent need to develop individualized strategy to improve the effectiveness of rTMS on patients with DoC. METHODS Our protocol is a randomized double-blind sham-controlled crossover trial that includes 30 DoC patients. Each patient will received 20 sessions, in which 10 sessions will be rTMS-active stimulus, and the other 10 sessions will be sham stimulus, separated by no less than 10 days' washout period. The rTMS-active will include 10 Hz rTMS over the individualized-targeted selection area for each patient according to the different insult regions of the brain. Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R) will be used as primary outcome at baseline, after the first stage of stimulation, at the end of the washout period, and after the second stage of stimulation. Secondary outcomes will be measured at the same time, including efficiency, relative spectral power, and functional connectivity of high-density electroencephalograph (EEG). Adverse events will be recorded during the study. DISCUSSION rTMS has obtained grade A evidence in treating patients with several central nervous system diseases, and there has been some evidence showing partial improvement on level of consciousness in DoC patients. However, the effectiveness of rTMS in DoC is only 30~36%, mostly due to the non-specific target selection. In this protocol, we present a double-blind crossover randomized sham-controlled trial based on the individualized-targeted selection strategy that aims to study the effectiveness of rTMS therapy for DoC, and the result may provide new insights to non-invasive brain stimulation. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov : NCT05187000. Registered on January 10, 2022.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chengwei Xu
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510280, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhaohua Zhu
- Clinical Research Center, Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510280, People's Republic of China
| | - Wanchun Wu
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510280, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaochun Zheng
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510280, People's Republic of China
| | - Haili Zhong
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510280, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiyan Huang
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510280, People's Republic of China.
| | - Qiuyou Xie
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510280, People's Republic of China.
| | - Xinyi Qian
- School of Rehabilitation Medicine, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, Jiangxi province, 341000, People's Republic of China
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Shu Z, Wu J, Li H, Liu J, Lu J, Lin J, Liang S, Wu J, Han J, Yu N. fNIRS-based functional connectivity signifies recovery in patients with disorders of consciousness after DBS treatment. Clin Neurophysiol 2023; 147:60-68. [PMID: 36702043 DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2022.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Revised: 11/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE While deep brain stimulation (DBS) has proved effective for certain patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC), the working neural mechanism is not clear, the response varies for patients, and the assessment is inadequate. This paper aims to quantify the DBS-induced changes of consciousness in DOC patients at the neural functional level. METHODS Ten DOC patients were included for DBS surgery. The DBS target was the right centromedian-parafascicular (CM-pf) nuclei for four patients and the bilateral CM-pf nuclei for six patients. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was taken to measure the neural activation of patients, in parallel with Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R), before the DBS surgery and one month after. The fNIRS signals were recorded from the frontal, parietal, and occipital lobes. Functional connectivity analysis quantified the communication between brain regions, area communication strength, and global communication efficiency. Linear regression analysis was conducted between the changes of indices based on functional connectivity analysis and the changes of the CRS-R index. RESULTS Patients with trauma (n = 4) exhibited a greater increase of CRS-R scores after DBS treatment compared with patients with hemorrhage (n = 4) and brainstem infarction (n = 2). Global communication efficiency changed consistently with the CRS-R index (slope = 57.384, p < 0.05, R2=0.483). No significant relationship was found between the changes of area communication strength of six brain lobes and the changes of the CRS-R index. CONCLUSIONS The cause of DOC is essential for the outcome of DBS treatment, and brain communication efficiency is a promising functional marker for DOC recovery. SIGNIFICANCE fNIRS-based functional connectivity analysis on brain network signifies changes of consciousness in DOC patients after DBS treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhilin Shu
- College of Artificial Intelligence, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Intelligent Robotics, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Jingchao Wu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tianjin Huanhu Hospital, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Haitao Li
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tianjin Huanhu Hospital, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Jinrui Liu
- College of Artificial Intelligence, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Intelligent Robotics, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Jiewei Lu
- College of Artificial Intelligence, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Intelligent Robotics, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Jianeng Lin
- College of Artificial Intelligence, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Intelligent Robotics, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Siquan Liang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tianjin Huanhu Hospital, Tianjin 300350, China.
| | - Jialing Wu
- Department of Neurology, Tianjin Huanhu Hospital, Tianjin 300350, China; Laboratory of Cerebral Vascular and Neurodegenerative Diseases, Tianjin Neurosurgical Institute, Tianjin Huanhu Hospital, Tianjin 300350, China.
| | - Jianda Han
- College of Artificial Intelligence, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Intelligent Robotics, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China.
| | - Ningbo Yu
- College of Artificial Intelligence, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Intelligent Robotics, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China.
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Raciti L, Raciti G, Militi D, Tonin P, Quartarone A, Calabrò RS. Sleep in Disorders of Consciousness: A Brief Overview on a Still under Investigated Issue. Brain Sci 2023; 13:brainsci13020275. [PMID: 36831818 PMCID: PMC9954700 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13020275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2022] [Revised: 01/29/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Consciousness is a multifaceted concept, involving both wakefulness, i.e., a condition of being alert that is regulated by the brainstem, and awareness, a subjective experience of any thoughts or perception or emotion. Recently, the European Academy of Neurology has published international guidelines for a better diagnosis of coma and other disorders of consciousness (DOC) through the investigation of sleep patterns, such as slow-wave and REM, and the study of the EEG using machine learning methods and artificial intelligence. The management of sleep disorders in DOC patients is an increasingly hot topic and deserves careful diagnosis, to allow for the most accurate prognosis and the best medical treatment possible. The aim of this review was to investigate the anatomo-physiological basis of the sleep/wake cycle, as well as the main sleep patterns and sleep disorders in patients with DOC. We found that the sleep characteristics in DOC patients are still controversial. DOC patients often present a theta/delta pattern, while epileptiform activity, as well as other sleep elements, have been reported as correlating with outcomes in patients with coma and DOC. The absence of spindles, as well as REM and K-complexes of NREM sleep, have been used as poor predictors for early awakening in DOC patients, especially in UWS patients. Therefore, sleep could be considered a marker of DOC recovery, and effective treatments for sleep disorders may either indirectly or directly favor recovery of consciousness.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - David Militi
- IRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino Pulejo, 98121 Messina, Italy
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Shalom J. Letter to the Editor: Conundrum of Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy Insertion for Patients with Advanced Dementia and Dysphagia. J Palliat Med 2023; 26:162. [PMID: 36724318 DOI: 10.1089/jpm.2022.0524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jim Shalom
- Specialist Family Medicine Israel, Kfar Vradim, Israel
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50
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Schnetzer L, McCoy M, Bergmann J, Kunz A, Leis S, Trinka E. Locked-in syndrome revisited. Ther Adv Neurol Disord 2023; 16:17562864231160873. [PMID: 37006459 PMCID: PMC10064471 DOI: 10.1177/17562864231160873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The locked-in syndrome (LiS) is characterized by quadriplegia with preserved vertical eye and eyelid movements and retained cognitive abilities. Subcategorization, aetiologies and the anatomical foundation of LiS are discussed. The damage of different structures in the pons, mesencephalon and thalamus are attributed to symptoms of classical, complete and incomplete LiS and the locked-in plus syndrome, which is characterized by additional impairments of consciousness, making the clinical distinction to other chronic disorders of consciousness at times difficult. Other differential diagnoses are cognitive motor dissociation (CMD) and akinetic mutism. Treatment options are reviewed and an early, interdisciplinary and aggressive approach, including the provision of psychological support and coping strategies is favoured. The establishment of communication is a main goal of rehabilitation. Finally, the quality of life of LiS patients and ethical implications are considered. While patients with LiS report a high quality of life and well-being, medical professionals and caregivers have largely pessimistic perceptions. The negative view on life with LiS must be overthought and the autonomy and dignity of LiS patients prioritized. Knowledge has to be disseminated, diagnostics accelerated and technical support system development promoted. More well-designed research but also more awareness of the needs of LiS patients and their perception as individual persons is needed to enable a life with LiS that is worth living.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mark McCoy
- Department of Neurology, Neurological Intensive Care and Neurorehabilitation, Christian Doppler Medical Centre, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Jürgen Bergmann
- Department of Neurology, Neurological Intensive Care and Neurorehabilitation, Christian Doppler Medical Centre, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Alexander Kunz
- Department of Neurology, Neurological Intensive Care and Neurorehabilitation, Christian Doppler Medical Centre, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
- Karl Landsteiner Institute of Neurorehabilitation and Space Neurology, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Stefan Leis
- Department of Neurology, Neurological Intensive Care and Neurorehabilitation, Christian Doppler Medical Centre, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Eugen Trinka
- Department of Neurology, Neurological Intensive Care and Neurorehabilitation, Christian Doppler Medical Centre, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
- MRI Research Unit, Neuroscience Institute, Christian Doppler Medical Centre, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
- Karl Landsteiner Institute of Neurorehabilitation and Space Neurology, Salzburg, Austria
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