The presence of consciousness in the absence of the cerebral cortex.
Hydranencephaly is a rare neurological condition in which the cerebral hemispheres are either absent or severely compromised. It is widely believed that children with hydranencephaly are not conscious; and therefore, are routinely classified into the diagnostic criteria of vegetative state. However, there are several pieces of behavioral evidence clearly indicating the presence of consciousness in such patients. Here, I review these behavioral evidence and argue how misclassification of these patients and assigning them a lack of consciousness have far-reaching implications in terms of both clinical and theoretical neuroscience.
Beshkar
Majid
M
Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. majid.beshkar@yahoo.com
D000293:Adolescent; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003243:Consciousness; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004644:Emotions; D006801:Humans; D006832:Hydranencephaly / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D018458:Persistent Vegetative State / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D011603:Psychophysiology; D012919:Social Behavior; D013788:Thalamus