title: Probing consciousness with event-related potentials in the vegetative state.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Probing consciousness in noncommunicating patients is a major medical and neuroscientific challenge. While standardized and expert behavioral assessment of patients constitutes a mandatory step, this clinical evaluation stage is often difficult and doubtful, and calls for complementary measures which may overcome its inherent limitations. Several functional brain imaging methods are currently being developed within this perspective, including fMRI and cognitive event-related potentials (ERPs). We recently designed an original rule extraction ERP test that is positive only in subjects who are conscious of the long-term regularity of auditory stimuli.
  
  
  METHODS
  In the present work, we report the results of this test in a population of 22 patients who met clinical criteria for vegetative state.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We identified 2 patients showing this neural signature of consciousness. Interestingly, these 2 patients showed unequivocal clinical signs of consciousness within the 3 to 4 days following ERP recording.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Taken together, these results strengthen the relevance of bedside neurophysiological tools to improve diagnosis of consciousness in noncommunicating patients.
authors: AP-HP, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Department of Neurophysiology, Paris, France.
authors: F
authors: F
authors: Faugeras
authors: B
authors: B
authors: Rohaut
authors: N
authors: N
authors: Weiss
authors: T A
authors: TA
authors: Bekinschtein
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Galanaud
authors: L
authors: L
authors: Puybasset
authors: F
authors: F
authors: Bolgert
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Sergent
authors: L
authors: L
authors: Cohen
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Dehaene
authors: L
authors: L
authors: Naccache
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