Man in Vegetative State Uses MRI to Communicate

[boop334]

[citation][nom]d_kuhn[/nom]Time to crank some Metallica.[/citation]

Exactly what i was thinking when i read this article!

 

[Guest]

The "empty space" in the patient's brain is there because he apparently lost some brain tissue. The lost tissue is replaced mostly by fluid in your lateral ventricles.

The lateral ventricles are normally filled with a small amount of fluid, and are much smaller, but they can expand in certain conditions such as loss of brain tissue (old age, trauma) or hydrocephalus (a condition caused by blockage of the flow of fluid through the brain. If it can't flow it backs up...)

As far as putting him out of his misery...that gets into some dubious legal territory. They can unplug the machines at most.

 

[pocketdrummer]

[citation][nom]sliem[/nom]Answering yes or no is not communicating.[/citation]

You're an idiot.

 

[scryer_360]

HOLY SHIT.

 

[belardo]

I 3rd that IT IS communicating. Hell, Yes and NO or 1 and 0 is how computers communicate.

You can ask all kinds of questions.

Are you in pain?
Do you dream?
Can you feel?
Want us to pull the plug? (letting nature end your life)
Do you want to hear jokes?
Is the nurse calling you names?
etc...

It would suck to be stuck in your head. After many months (especially years) that your body doesn't move - your muscles die and you'll never walk again and you may even be in pain from nerve damage.

 

[Pailin]

Can you answer Yes or No to "Do you plead Guilty to the charges" in a court of Law:

Yes

or

No

I think the Law of pretty much every country in the world accepts Yes or No as a form of communication LOL

 

[Pailin]

I truely hope he has some great dreams in there!!! 😀

 

[turbolover22]

[citation][nom]tayb[/nom]"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.[/citation]

I agree that the title isn't completely correct. But the title you suggest isn't any better. The title you suggest would imply that the doctors are using the MRI machine to send communicative signals to the person in the vegetative state. The MRI machine is only used to interpret/receive the signals the people are sending, not send signals back to the people being monitored.

 

[unwanted]

mactruck 02/05/2010 10:32 PM
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Scotteq :
Interesting...Though it does have me wondering about the effects of repeated/long term exposure to MRI radiation.



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.

The MRI still produces radiation. You are right that it does not send waves through the patient to scan however like you said it uses "high-powered electromagnets" which in turn create elcrtomagentic fields which are.... radiation.

It doesn't "USE" radiation as its way to create an image like an xray does but the machine still "produces" radiation just like the monitor you are reading this on now or hihg power power lines etc.

 

[nonameno12]

Metallica's One, is based on the film/book 'Johnny got his gun', describing from a first person view the experience of being in this state. Its fiction but still very powerful, but there is at least one book 'written' by a man in a vegetative state.

 

[anachronite]

pretty amazing stuff, just wondering how aware he is of his surroundings and if he realizes he is in a coma. scary stuff

 

[nictron]

When I saw this I immediately thought of the Emperor in the Warhammer Universe, where his brain was preserved and he became immortal?

Immortality for the rich? mmmhh

Now that is scary!

 

[hellscook]

Captain Pike powers, activate!

 

[Guest]

Sadly this has now been shown to be incorrect see link

http/www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/feb/19/miracle-patient-facilitated-communication