Spared posteromedial network connectivity could predict favourable outcome in comatose patients, according to a recently published prospective study of 27 patients in coma after severe brain injury (Glasgow Coma Scale score <8), and 14 age-matched healthy participants. Specifically, strong functional connectivity between the posterior cingulate cortex and medial prefrontal cortex was associated with increased likelihood of recovery from coma. The results suggest that the major consciousness deficit in coma could arise from disrupted long-range neuronal communication.
References
Silva, S. et al. Disruption of posteromedial large-scale neural communication predicts recovery from coma. Neurology 10.1212/WNL.0000000000002196
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Functional connectivity could be a prognostic neuroimaging marker for recovery from coma. Nat Rev Neurol 11, 668 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2015.214
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2015.214