MRC Press Release

Overview of the Research

A landmark study conducted by the Medical Research Council (MRC) and University of Liège.
Published on 3 February 2010.
Focuses on a patient presumed in a vegetative state who can communicate through thought.

29-year-old man who suffered a severe traumatic brain injury in a road traffic accident in 2003.
Remained unresponsive and presumed in a vegetative state for five years.

Utilized functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to map brain activity.
Patient was asked yes/no questions (e.g., "Is your father’s name Thomas?") to gauge responses.
Brain activity patterns were observed and could be voluntarily altered by the patient, indicating communication through thought.
23 patients diagnosed as vegetative were scanned; fMRI detected awareness in 4 cases (17%).
The fMRI method is 100% accurate in healthy subjects but had not been applied to non-responsive patients.

Astonishing results demonstrated that the patient was not in a vegetative state.
For the first time in five years, the patient could communicate thoughts externally.
Statements from researchers:
- Dr. Adrian Owen, MRC: Highlighted the breakthrough in communication through brain activity.
- Dr. Steven Laureys, University of Liège: Anticipated future development of techniques for patients to express thoughts and improve their quality of life.
- Dr. Martin Monti, MRC: Suggested potential clinical applications for assessing pain in non-responsive patients.

Involvement of MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Wolfson Brain Imaging Centre, and the University of Liège team.
This study is significant in proving fMRI's applicability in communicating with vegetative patients.