Healthy Brain Activity Identified in Brain Injury Patients

Healthy Brain Activity Identified in Brain Injury Patients

Differences in brain injury patient’s electrical activity recordings have found brain activity comparable to a healthy adult brain, new research shows.

Researchers have attempted to pinpoint a neural signature of consciousness in patients with severe brain injury, according to a study published in PLOS Computational Biology.

Researchers used electroencephalography (EEG) electrodes to record the brain activity of 32 patients as well as 26 healthy adults.

They recorded the patients’ brain activity at rest and by using a new method of analyzing the EEG recordings showed that there was a prominent difference in the brain activity of two brain injury patients. One patient, although unresponsive, had brain activity that read similar to the activity of a healthy adult.

Previously, neuroscientists have discovered that patients with severe brain injury may show signs of consciousness even if the patients are in a vegetative state or unable to speak or move.

Electroencephalography (EEG) is a recording of the brain’s electrical activity along the scalp.  It is a test that uses small discs (electrodes) that are attached to the scalp. Brain cells communicate via electrical impulses and are active all the time, even when you’re asleep. This activity shows up as wavy lines on an EEG recording. An EEG is one of the main diagnostic tests for epilepsy and can also help in diagnosing other brain disorders.

Image credit: Yurchanka Siarhei/Shutterstock

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