title: Functional connectivity in disorders of consciousness: methodological aspects and clinical relevance.
abstract: This is a Quick Guide about the role of the functional connectivity in the Disorders of Consciousness (DOC). Recent studies on resting state (RS) in DOC, by using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), showed that functional connectivity is severely impaired above all in the default mode network (DMN). In the vegetative and minimally conscious state, DMN integrity seems to correlate with the level of remaining consciousness, offering the possibility of using this information for diagnostic and prognostic purposes. Although the two principal approaches used in the RS analysis showed several methodological difficulties, especially in DOC patients, functional brain imaging is currently being validated as a valuable addition to the standardized clinical assessments that are already in use.
authors.affiliation: Neurobioimaging Laboratory, IRCCS Centro Neurolesi "Bonino-Pulejo", S.S. 113, Via Palermo, C.da Casazza, 98124, Messina, Italy. silvimarino@gmail.com.|Department of Biomedical Sciences and Morphological and Functional Imaging, University of Messina, Messina, Italy. silvimarino@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Marino
authors.affiliation: Neurobioimaging Laboratory, IRCCS Centro Neurolesi "Bonino-Pulejo", S.S. 113, Via Palermo, C.da Casazza, 98124, Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Lilla
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bonanno
authors.affiliation: Neurobioimaging Laboratory, IRCCS Centro Neurolesi "Bonino-Pulejo", S.S. 113, Via Palermo, C.da Casazza, 98124, Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Giorgio
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology; D003243:Consciousness / Q000502:physiology; D003244:Consciousness Disorders / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D018458:Persistent Vegetative State / Q000503:physiopathology
keywords: Disorders of consciousness; Functional magnetic resonance imaging; Outcome; Resting state