Imaging correlation in non-communicating patients

The diagnosis and medical management of patients with acute or chronic disorders of consciousness (DOC) are challenging. Motor-independent functional neuroimaging technologies are increasingly employed to study covert cognitive processes in the absence of behavioural reports. Studies with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) performed in this patient population have utilized active, passive and restingstate paradigms. Active paradigms refer to mental imagery tasks that measure wilful modulation of brain signal in specific brain areas, aiming to detect command-following. Passive paradigms are used to measure brain responses to external sensory stimulation (e.g. auditory, somatosensory and visual). Alternatively, in resting-state paradigms, spontaneous brain function is assessed while subjects receive no external stimulation and are instructed to let their mind wander. Independently from each other, these methods have shown differences between healthy controls and patients, as well as among patients with DOC. However, these techniques cannot yet be used in clinical settings before robust information at the single-subject level will be provided: it is expected that multimodal research will improve the single-patient diagnosis, shed light on the prognostic biomarkers, and eventually promote the medical management of patients with consciousness alterations.