title: Is there a mind? Electrophysiology of unconscious patients.
abstract: Event related brain potentials (ERPs) provide information about cortical processing in severe neurological patients whose cognitive abilities cannot be expressed in their behavior. In coma, ERPs contribute to the prediction of the outcome. In a vegetative state, ERPs uncover the functional state of cortical processes. The significance of ERPs in the neurophysiological study of consciousness is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, 72074 Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Boris
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kotchoubey
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lang
authors.forename: Vladimir
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bostanov
authors.forename: Niels
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Birbaumer
mesh_terms: D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology; D003128:Coma / Q000503:physiopathology; D004594:Electrophysiology; D005071:Evoked Potentials; D006801:Humans; D018458:Persistent Vegetative State / Q000503:physiopathology; D014474:Unconsciousness / Q000503:physiopathology*