Thanks to the revolutionary implant of electrodes deep in his brain that a man who spent his six years in a vegetable state, as declared by doctors, regained his cognitive functions.
The 38-year old suffered brain injury during an assault with a blunt instrument that caused haematoma - bleeding in the brain, which forced him to spend six years with occasional consciousness. Researchers made an experimental attempt to rev up his brain by placing electrodes in it and now he is able to talk, eat normally, laugh, drink and carry out simple tasks such as brushing his teeth.
Patient’s mother, choking back tears during a news conference, described the change in her son.
My son can now eat, speak; watch a movie without falling asleep. The most important part is he can say, ‘Mommy’ and ‘Pop.’ He can say, ‘I love you, Mommy’ ... I still cry every time I see my son, but it’s tears of joy.
Before the electrodes were implanted, the man was in, what doctors call, a ‘minimally conscious state’. Patients in a minimally conscious state have very low and sporadic levels of awareness, and have a little chance of recovery past the initial 12 months post-injury.
Dr. Ali Resai, the neurosurgeon who fitted the electrodes at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, described the linkage of man’s functional abilities to use of DBS and hopes the first use of DBS to treat patients in MCS will mark the beginning of a significant period of innovation in their approach to traumatic brain injury.
The man gained his consciousness via procedure called Deep Brain Stimulation in which electrodes are planted near the central thalamus, area involved in relaying sensory signals. The concerned specialists and doctors are very excited about this typical outcome, which holds great promise for patients suffering similar situation.
Image Credit: Telegrapah
Via: Yahoo!
