Auditory P300 and the altered consciousness: detecting altered states of consciousness using the P300 speller

in Proceedings of TOBI Workshop 2010: Integrating Brain-Computer Interfaces with Conventional Assistive Technology (2010)

Assessment and detection of pain in noncommunicative severely brain-injured patients.

in Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics (2010), 10(11), 1725-31

Detecting pain in severely brain-injured patients recovering from coma represents a real challenge. Patients with disorders of consciousness are unable to consistently or reliably communicate their ... [more ▼]

Detecting pain in severely brain-injured patients recovering from coma represents a real challenge. Patients with disorders of consciousness are unable to consistently or reliably communicate their feelings and potential perception of pain. However, recent studies suggest that patients in a minimally conscious state can experience pain to some extent. Pain monitoring in these patients is hence of medical and ethical importance. In this article, we will focus on the possible use of behavioral scales for the assessment and detection of pain in noncommunicative patients. [less ▲]

Visual fixation in the vegetative state: an observational case series PET study.

in BMC Neurology (2010), 10

BACKGROUND: Assessment of visual fixation is commonly used in the clinical examination of patients with disorders of consciousness. However, different international guidelines seem to disagree whether ... [more ▼]

BACKGROUND: Assessment of visual fixation is commonly used in the clinical examination of patients with disorders of consciousness. However, different international guidelines seem to disagree whether fixation is compatible with the diagnosis of the vegetative state (i.e., represents "automatic" subcortical processing) or is a sufficient sign of consciousness and higher order cortical processing. METHODS: We here studied cerebral metabolism in ten patients with chronic post-anoxic encephalopathy and 39 age-matched healthy controls. Five patients were in a vegetative state (without fixation) and five presented visual fixation but otherwise showed all criteria typical of the vegetative state. Patients were matched for age, etiology and time since insult and were followed by repeated Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R) assessments for at least 1 year. Sustained visual fixation was considered as present when the eyes refixated a moving target for more than 2 seconds as defined by CRS-R criteria. RESULTS: Patients without fixation showed metabolic dysfunction in a widespread fronto-parietal cortical network (with only sparing of the brainstem and cerebellum) which was not different from the brain function seen in patients with visual fixation. Cortico-cortical functional connectivity with visual cortex showed no difference between both patient groups. Recovery rates did not differ between patients without or with fixation (none of the patients showed good outcome). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that sustained visual fixation in (non-traumatic) disorders of consciousness does not necessarily reflect consciousness and higher order cortical brain function. [less ▲]

Quelles attitudes médicales et éthiques adopter envers le patient en locked-in syndrome?

in Puybasset, Louis (Ed.) Enjeux éthiques en réanimation (2010)

Another kind of 'BOLD Response': answering multiple-choice questions via online decoded single-trial brain signals.

in Progress in Brain Research (2009), 177

The term 'locked-in'syndrome (LIS) describes a medical condition in which persons concerned are severely paralyzed and at the same time fully conscious and awake. The resulting anarthria makes it ... [more ▼]

The term 'locked-in'syndrome (LIS) describes a medical condition in which persons concerned are severely paralyzed and at the same time fully conscious and awake. The resulting anarthria makes it impossible for these patients to naturally communicate, which results in diagnostic as well as serious practical and ethical problems. Therefore, developing alternative, muscle-independent communication means is of prime importance. Such communication means can be realized via brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) circumventing the muscular system by using brain signals associated with preserved cognitive, sensory, and emotional brain functions. Primarily, BCIs based on electrophysiological measures have been developed and applied with remarkable success. Recently, also blood flow-based neuroimaging methods, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), have been explored in this context. After reviewing recent literature on the development of especially hemodynamically based BCIs, we introduce a highly reliable and easy-to-apply communication procedure that enables untrained participants to motor-independently and relatively effortlessly answer multiple-choice questions based on intentionally generated single-trial fMRI signals that can be decoded online. Our technique takes advantage of the participants' capability to voluntarily influence certain spatio-temporal aspects of the blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) signal: source location (by using different mental tasks), signal onset and offset. We show that healthy participants are capable of hemodynamically encoding at least four distinct information units on a single-trial level without extensive pretraining and with little effort. Moreover, real-time data analysis based on simple multi-filter correlations allows for automated answer decoding with a high accuracy (94.9%) demonstrating the robustness of the presented method. Following our 'proof of concept', the next step will involve clinical trials with LIS patients, undertaken in close collaboration with their relatives and caretakers in order to elaborate individually tailored communication protocols. As our procedure can be easily transferred to MRI-equipped clinical sites, it may constitute a simple and effective possibility for online detection of residual consciousness and for LIS patients to communicate basic thoughts and needs in case no other alternative communication means are available (yet)--especially in the acute phase of the LIS. Future research may focus on further increasing the efficiency and accuracy of fMRI-based BCIs by implementing sophisticated data analysis methods (e.g., multivariate and independent component analysis) and neurofeedback training techniques. Finally, the presented BCI approach could be transferred to portable fNIRS systems as only this would enable hemodynamically based communication in daily life situations. [less ▲]

Consciousness in the Locked-in Syndrome

in S. Laureys & G. Tononi (Ed.) The Neurology of Consciousness (2009)

Bewusstseinsstörungen - Diagnose und Prognose

in Junginger, T. (Ed.) Grenzsituationen der Intensivmedizin-Entscheidungsgrundlagen (2008)

Que mesure la neuro-imagerie fonctionnelle: IRMf, TEP & MEG?

in Revue Médicale de Liège (2008), 63(5-6), 231-7

Functional cerebral imaging techniques allow the in vivo study of human cognitive and sensorimotor functions in physiological or pathological conditions. In this paper, we review the advantages and ... [more ▼]

Functional cerebral imaging techniques allow the in vivo study of human cognitive and sensorimotor functions in physiological or pathological conditions. In this paper, we review the advantages and limitations of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetoencephalography (MEG). fMRI and PET measure haemodynamic changes induced by regional changes in neuronal activity. These techniques have a high spatial resolution (a few millimeters), but a poor temporal resolution (a few seconds to several minutes). Electroencephalogram (EEG) and MEG measure the neuronal electrical or magnetic activity with a high temporal resolution (i.e., milliseconds) albeit with a poorer spatial resolution (i.e., a few millimeters to one centimeter). The combination of these different neuroimaging techniques allows studying different components of the brain's activity (e.g., neurovascular coupling, electromagnetic activity) with both a high temporal and spatial resolution. [less ▲]

Evaluation comportementale et par neuroimagerie fonctionnelle des patients en état végétatif

in Revue Médicale de Liège (2007), 62 Spec No

Currently, there remains a high rate of misdiagnosis of the vegetative state. This should incite clinicians to use the most sensitive "coma scales" to detect signs of consciousness in these patients. The ... [more ▼]

Currently, there remains a high rate of misdiagnosis of the vegetative state. This should incite clinicians to use the most sensitive "coma scales" to detect signs of consciousness in these patients. The gold standard remains the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS, Teasdale and Jennet, 1974), with the Glasgow Liege Scale (GLS, Born, 1988) adding standardized assessment of brainstem reflexes. New sensible behavioral assessment tools for use in the acute neurocritical care setting include the Full Outline of UnResponsiveness (FOUR, Wijdicks et al., 2005). The Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R, Giacino and Kalmar, 2004) specifically tests the diagnostic criteria differentiating vegetative from minimally conscious patients. Detecting signs of consciousness also depends on the employed methodology. We showed that for the assesment of the presence of visual pursuit, using a moving mirror is better suited than using a moving object or person. The clinical diagnosis can be confirmed by cerebral positron emission tomography studies objectively quantifying residual metabolic activity in vegetative and minimally conscious patients. Ongoing studies evaluate the prognostic value of functional magnetic resonance imaging studies in these challenging patient populations. [less ▲]