Human Brain Activity Patterns beyond the Isoelectric Line of Extreme Deep Coma

[Vodsel]

A medical patient who was put in a deep coma after a heart attack showed oscillating bursts of activity in deep areas of the brain, detected behind the so far considered flat line signal. The finding has been verified by a study in the University of Alberta, Canada, and the research paper has been published today.

In this study we use EEG recordings for humans on the one hand, and on the other hand double simultaneous intracellular recordings in the cortex and hippocampus, combined with EEG, in cats. They serve to demonstrate that a novel brain phenomenon is observable in both humans and animals during coma that is deeper than the one reflected by the isoelectric EEG, and that this state is characterized by brain activity generated within the hippocampal formation. This new state was induced either by medication applied to postanoxic coma (in human) or by application of high doses of anesthesia (isoflurane in animals) leading to an EEG activity of quasi-rhythmic sharp waves which henceforth we propose to call ν-complexes (Nu-complexes).

In this paper we report an active brain state that extends well beyond deep coma associated with an EEG isoelectric line and potentially represents a new frontier in brain functioning.

Exciting stuff... you can find the whole research paper in PLOS here, and this brief note in New Scientist.

 

[corpus callosum]

:thumb_up:

Very exciting; once again, Vodsel, thanks for posting more cutting-edge stuff.

 

[DreaMTripper]

Interesting indeed but I do feel sorry for the cats