A 35 year old patient who had spent 15years in a vegetative state has regained some levels of consciousness after doctors at the ‘ Institute des sciences cognitives’ in Lyon used Vagus nerve stimulation.
Vagus nerve stimulation is already in use to treat Epilepsy, and depression. The vagus nerve links the brain to many parts of the body and plays a huge rule in controlling subconscious functions such as alertness and wakefulness,
Te team implanted a vagus nerve stimulator into the patient’s chest and after a month of stimulation he started showing signs of improvement.Attention, ,movements and brain activity significantly improved . the patient could stay awake ,listening to the therapist, and could respond to simple instructions.
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