Man in Vegetative State Uses MRI to Communicate

[jaynied]

There might be a lot of space in the "patient's" brain, compared to the "control" brain, but they have recently discovered that brain cells Do regenerate, so there is hope for this patient, as well as all people with brain injuries!

 

[mactruck]

[citation][nom]Scotteq[/nom]Interesting...Though it does have me wondering about the effects of repeated/long term exposure to MRI radiation.[/citation]

MRI machines do not produce radiation like an X-ray, they use high-powered electromagnets. There is no radio wave sent through the patient, so the only danger is if the patient has metallic objects in their body like a pacemaker or shrapnel that could be pulled towards the magnet.

 

[mlopinto2k1]

Yes, this would definitely scare the hell out of me. I could only hope they would ask, "Michael, do you wan't us to kill you so you don't have to live like this?"...

 

[d_kuhn]

Time to crank some Metallica.

 

[d_kuhn]

Seriously... they should have asked him "Do you want us to end your suffering?".

 

[mlopinto2k1]

[citation][nom]Rab1d-BDGR[/nom]So... some people in comas really are aware of what is going on. SCARY STUFF!!!I think I had better leave a "living will" to insist that if I'm ever in a "vegetative state" then they had better put some decent TV / music in my room.[/citation]
How about using binaural beats for mental stimulation? Wonder if they ever tried that.

 

[mlopinto2k1]

[citation][nom]d_kuhn[/nom]Seriously... they should have asked him "Do you want us to end your suffering?".[/citation]Totally agree.

 

[mp562]

That's a lot of money to spend to run the MRI just to get a "yes" or "no" answer.

 

[tacoslave]

[citation][nom]d_kuhn[/nom]Time to crank some Metallica.[/citation]
yeah lets just play ONE song.

 

[maestintaolius]

[citation][nom]the_krasno[/nom]Every RPG in history begs to differ.[/citation]
Especially anything involving Zelda.

 

[lapalm]

[citation][nom]zanraptora[/nom]This is impressive... If this works the way it is supposed to... Then this opens up a whole new ballgame for the rehabilitation of vegetative humans. However... I worry that this might also bring up the dangerous question about our previous treatment of unresponsive humans.[/citation]

For now, there is no rehab of vegetative humans. Sure you could "communicate" with MRI, but you couldn't go any further toward rehab. The only thing you could learn is the patient has a locked-in syndrome without organised eye movement, making it even worse.

I agree, they should have asked the patients if they wanted to withdraw from the mecanical ventilation. Sad thing.

 

[lapalm]

"mechanical" Where is the edit button!!!

 

[micky_lund]

ouch...so is classified as 'vegatative' now or not?

 

[rbarone69]

[citation][nom]lapalm[/nom]I agree, they should have asked the patients if they wanted to withdraw from the mecanical ventilation. Sad thing.[/citation]

It is very sad. It's very sad they have to go through it at all. If it were me... I'd say "YES" to pulling the plug if I knew chances were that I would be like that forever.

But that's just me... It's wonderful that they can actually ask and get the "NO" from the people who would rather live like that. Just imagine if this leads to probes in their head to allow them to communicate at a higher level bypassing natural means. First computer program written by 'locked in' person...

It would be much like neuro-muscular dystrophy.

 

[overclockingrocks]

I see this as only the beginning. I'll bet in a decade or two we'll have the technology that people will literally be telepathic. Given the fact they are already getting a vegitative person to communicate with his thoughts I'd say there is much to be learned still about the functions of the brain and what it is capable of.

 

[jaynied]

There is Very Much more to be learned about the functions of the brain & what it is capable of - you're right! Thank goodness technology is finally getting to the point where we can see some of those things!! We could have been "pulling the plug" on all sorts of people, in the past, who didn't need or Want to have that done - besides the fact that some people already spontaneously come out of conditions like this on their own - we don't know how much of the "damage" that someone has suffered will regenerate, given time & what about hyperbaric oxygen therapy? If these people were given that sort of treatment, who Knows what kind of leaps they could make in their progress & healing!!

 

[Onus]

[citation][nom]figgie[/nom]What I think is more intresting.The MRI of the patient... that is a lot of "space" in that MRI compared to the control.....[/citation]
High CSF pressure has expanded his ventricles, and may be why he's in the "vegetative" state. If it can be brought down, maybe he has a shot at some improvement. Maybe...
If I'm ever in that condition, give me a max of 2-3 months for improvement. If there's none, I want the exit question.

 

[Pei-chen]

Obama's healthcare reform says pull the plug

 

[tayb]

[citation][nom]kyeana[/nom]"Man in Vegetative State" didn't give it away that he wasn't the one using the machine???[/citation]

"Doctors use MRI to communicate with man in vegetative state" should be what the title reads. The title, as written, indicates that a man in a vegetative state is using an MRI machine. He is not because he is a vegetative state. It's written incorrectly.

 

[tayb]

[citation][nom]zanraptora[/nom]This is impressive... If this works the way it is supposed to... Then this opens up a whole new ballgame for the rehabilitation of vegetative humans. However... I worry that this might also bring up the dangerous question about our previous treatment of unresponsive humans.[/citation]

There is no rehabilitation now or in the long term future. Maybe I'm cynical but when I first heard about this the first thing I thought of was patients now have the power to pull the plug on themselves.

I wouldn't want to live like that. Your brain is alive and kicking but you've lost connection to the rest of your body? No.