Magnet Coil Could Help Doctors To Detect A Person's Consciousness
Aug 16, 2013 19:24
New research has discovered that active neural pathways in the brain can be stimulated by holding a magnetic coil up to a patient's skull, which could help determine if a person is truly brain dead or just paralyzed.
This technique involves measuring how much of the brain responded to this electrical impulse based on a zero-to-one scale. A score higher than 0.44 indicates consciousness, while readings below 0.31 indicates an unconscious brain. This method would give doctors a reliable tool to determine what's going on in a paralyzed or unconscious patient's brain.
This is particularly good news for those suffering from locked-in syndrome, which is when a person with a fully functioning brain is trapped in a completely paralyzed body. It could also help revolutionize the ability to better treat things like stroke and traumatic brain injury.
Science via Wired
This technique involves measuring how much of the brain responded to this electrical impulse based on a zero-to-one scale. A score higher than 0.44 indicates consciousness, while readings below 0.31 indicates an unconscious brain. This method would give doctors a reliable tool to determine what's going on in a paralyzed or unconscious patient's brain.
This is particularly good news for those suffering from locked-in syndrome, which is when a person with a fully functioning brain is trapped in a completely paralyzed body. It could also help revolutionize the ability to better treat things like stroke and traumatic brain injury.
Science via Wired
