title: Comment on "Preserved feedforward but impaired top-down processes in the vegetative state".
abstract: Boly et al. (Reports, 13 May 2011, p. 858) investigated cortical connectivity patterns in patients suffering from a disorder of consciousness, using electroencephalography in an auditory oddball paradigm. We point to several inconsistencies in their data, including a failure to replicate the classical mismatch negativity. Data quality, source reconstruction, and statistics would need to be improved to support their conclusions.
authors.affiliation: Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives, Division of Life Sciences, Institute of Bioimaging, Neurospin, Gif sur Yvette, 91191 France. jeanremi.king@gmail.com
authors.forename: Jean-Rémi
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: Tristan
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bekinschtein
authors.forename: Stanislas
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dehaene
mesh_terms: D003243:Consciousness; D005072:Evoked Potentials, Auditory; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology*; D018458:Persistent Vegetative State / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology*