Research offers hope for severely brain-damaged

Chewbaccus · 08-02-2007, 04:41 PM

From Reuters:

Quote:

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A man with severe brain injuries who spent six years in a near-vegetative state can now chew his food, watch a movie and talk with family thanks to a brain pacemaker that may change the way such patients are treated, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday.

The 38-year-old man is the first person in a minimally conscious state to be treated with deep-brain stimulation, a treatment that uses a pacemaker and two electrodes to send impulses into a part of the brain regulating consciousness.

--snip--

"[The patient's] skull was completely crushed and he was left for dead [in a 1999 mugging]," his mother told reporters in a telephone briefing.

He spent the next five years in a nursing home with no hope of recovery. He would occasionally mouth the word yes or no, but could not communicate reliably or eat on his own.

His parents agreed to try the experimental treatment in August 2005, and doctors saw immediate results.

He was alert and could move his head to follow voices.

He can now drink from a cup, recall and speak 16 words, and watch a movie.

Rezai said he is engaged with his family, playing cards with his mother and taking short trips outside the facility.

Other reports I've seen describe the treatment as a sort of "pacemaker" - twin electrodes are inserted into the thalamus, which then emit electric pulses into the brain. The medical journals are quick to point out that this treatment worked on someone like the patient in question and not someone like Terri Schaivo because the patient was in a "near-vegetative" state. He could still respond to noises and make minor eye and thumb motions, though he could not speak. Still, appears to be a lot of potential, I'd think.

Undertoad · 08-02-2007, 05:04 PM

Finally, a sign of hope.

xoxoxoBruce · 08-02-2007, 06:31 PM

I put a 9volt battery to my tongue... it didn't help.

My former MD retired because of Parkinson's. U of PA did an experimental procedure where they put two electrodes deep in his brain trying to establish new pathways, with limited success.

freshnesschronic · 08-04-2007, 09:35 PM

That's really amazing. Just like the movies.

wolf · 08-04-2007, 11:20 PM

Yeah, but the result in The Terminal Man wasn't what I'd call good or encouraging.

fargon · 08-05-2007, 04:41 PM

This Man need all the help he can get.

xoxoxoBruce · 08-05-2007, 06:32 PM

A sign of hope 2.

LabRat · 08-14-2007, 02:09 PM

The 90's have been deemed the "Decade of the Brain" because so much was discovered by so many. We should start to see lots of cool things like this coming down the pipe in the future.

Thank a lab animal today.

SteveDallas · 08-15-2007, 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LabRat

The 90's have been deemed the "Decade of the Brain" because so much was discovered by so many.

Do you know of any good books on the subject, for a scientifically literate but non-expert audience?

LabRat · 08-15-2007, 04:24 PM

Crap, I just read one. It was by Scientific American...I'll try to remember to look it up tomorrow when I have more time, and post.

xoxoxoBruce · 08-15-2007, 06:09 PM

10 unsolved mysteries of the brain.

LabRat · 08-16-2007, 12:50 PM

Best of the Brain from Scientific American

Good article Bruce.

FWIW the research I am currently involved in is trying to decipher the role of specific molecules in the development and maintenance of synapses, as well as the role of migroglia in brain repair after injury.

08-02-2007, 06:31 PM	#3
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	I put a 9volt battery to my tongue... it didn't help. My former MD retired because of Parkinson's. U of PA did an experimental procedure where they put two electrodes deep in his brain trying to establish new pathways, with limited success. __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

08-04-2007, 11:20 PM	#5
wolf lobber of scimitars Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Phila Burbs Posts: 20,774	Yeah, but the result in The Terminal Man wasn't what I'd call good or encouraging. __________________ wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis

08-05-2007, 04:41 PM	#6
fargon Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: La Crosse, WI Posts: 8,924	This Man need all the help he can get. Attached Images __________________ Annoy the ones that ignore you!!! I live a blessed life I Love my Country, I Fear the Government!!! Heavily medicated for the good of mankind.

08-05-2007, 06:32 PM	#7
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	A sign of hope 2. Attached Images __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

08-14-2007, 02:09 PM	#8
LabRat twatfaced two legged bumhole Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 3,143	The 90's have been deemed the "Decade of the Brain" because so much was discovered by so many. We should start to see lots of cool things like this coming down the pipe in the future. Thank a lab animal today. __________________ Strength does not come from how much weight you can lift, or how many miles you can run. It comes from knowing that you set a goal, and rose to the challenge. Strength comes from within.

08-02-2007, 05:04 PM	#2
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	Finally, a sign of hope.

08-04-2007, 09:35 PM	#4
freshnesschronic Professor Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 1,555	That's really amazing. Just like the movies.

08-15-2007, 04:24 PM	#10
LabRat twatfaced two legged bumhole Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 3,143	Crap, I just read one. It was by Scientific American...I'll try to remember to look it up tomorrow when I have more time, and post. __________________ Strength does not come from how much weight you can lift, or how many miles you can run. It comes from knowing that you set a goal, and rose to the challenge. Strength comes from within.

08-15-2007, 06:09 PM	#11
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	10 unsolved mysteries of the brain. __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

08-16-2007, 12:50 PM	#12
LabRat twatfaced two legged bumhole Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 3,143	Best of the Brain from Scientific American Good article Bruce. FWIW the research I am currently involved in is trying to decipher the role of specific molecules in the development and maintenance of synapses, as well as the role of migroglia in brain repair after injury. __________________ Strength does not come from how much weight you can lift, or how many miles you can run. It comes from knowing that you set a goal, and rose to the challenge. Strength comes from within. Last edited by xoxoxoBruce; 12-13-2007 at 10:41 AM.

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