Premium
Extending Communication for Patients with Disorders of Consciousness
Author(s) -
Liang Xingwen,
Kuhlmann Levin,
Johnston Leigh A.,
Grayden David B.,
Vogrin Simon,
Crossley Rosemary,
Fuller Karen,
Lourensz Mark,
Cook Mark J.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of neuroimaging
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.822
H-Index - 64
eISSN - 1552-6569
pISSN - 1051-2284
DOI - 10.1111/j.1552-6569.2012.00744.x
Subject(s) - mental image , functional magnetic resonance imaging , consciousness , task (project management) , persistent vegetative state , cognitive psychology , comprehension , motor imagery , consciousness disorders , medicine , psychology , audiology , cognition , neuroscience , minimally conscious state , psychiatry , computer science , electroencephalography , brain–computer interface , radiology , economics , programming language , management
ABSTRACT BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The difficulty of distinguishing disorders of consciousness from certain disorders of communication leads to the possibility of false diagnosis. Our aim is to communicate with patients with disorders of consciousness through asking them to answer questions with “yes/no” by performing mental imagery tasks using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). METHODS A 1.5 T fMRI study with 5 patients and a control group is presented. Speech comprehension, mental imagery, and question–answer tests were performed. RESULTS The imagery task of mental calculation produced equally distinct activation patterns when compared to navigation and motor imagery in controls. For controls, we could infer answers to questions based on imagery activations. Two patients produced activations in similar areas to controls for certain imagery tasks, however, no activations were observed for the question–answer task. CONCLUSIONS The results from 2 patients provide independent support of similar work by others with 3 T fMRI, and demonstrate broader clinical utility for these tests at 1.5 T despite lower signal‐to‐noise ratio. Based on the control results, mental calculation adds a robust imagery task for use in future studies of this kind.