Near-vegetative man was back to life after stimulation electrodes were implanted into his skull
A man who was left in a near-vegetative state by a serious assault was able to speak and eat again. The severely brain-injured patient, who is now 38, was unable to communicate, swallow or make coordinate movements for six years, before doctors revived him from this minimally conscious state (MCS) with a revolutionary therapy.
Since his skull was implanted with electrodes to stimulate a deep-lying and undamaged part of his brain, he has improved so dramatically that he can now feed himself, brush his hair and recognize and talk to his parents and doctors. The transformation achieved by the deep brain stimulation (DBS) technique, which is already used to treat Parkinson's disease and some neurological disorder (like Tourrett's Syndrome), has raised hopes that it could offer a way back to consciousness for many people with similarly serious brain damage.
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