Abstract
Recently, neuroscientists and clinicians have seen the rapid evolution of diagnoses
in disorders of consciousness. The unresponsive wakefulness syndrome–vegetative state,
the minimally conscious state plus and minus, and the functional locked-in syndrome
have been defined using new neuroimaging techniques. Diffusion tensor imaging, positron
emission tomography, functional magnetic resonance imaging, electroencephalography,
and transcranial magnetic stimulation techniques have all promoted important discoveries
in the field of disorders of consciousness. This has led to a better understanding
of these patients' condition and to the development of new prognosis, therapeutic,
and communication tools. However, low sensitivity and artifacts problems need to be
solved to bring these new technologies to the single-patient level; they also need
to be studied in larger scale and randomized control trials. In addition, new ethics
questions have arisen and need to be investigated.
Keywords
unresponsive wakefulness syndrome–vegetative state - minimally conscious state - consciousness
- functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) - neuroimaging
