This is an incredible story of hope reported in Nature this week which describes how neuroscientists implanted electrodes in the brain of a 38-year-old man who had been in a minimally conscious state for more than six years following a serious assault. By electrically stimulating a brain region called the central thalamus, they were able to help him name objects on request, make precise hand gestures, and chew food without the aid of a feeding tube. The thalamus is involved in motor control, arousal and in relaying sensory signals — from the visual systems, for example — to the cerebral cortex, the part of the brain involved in consciousness.

"The work challenges the existing practice of early treatment discontinuation for this patient population and also changes the approach to assessment and evaluation of the minimally-conscious state patient," said Dr. Nicholas Schiff, one of the study's authors. Joseph T. Giacino, Ph.D., of the New Jersey Neursoscience Institute, in Edison, a co-author, said that "prior to the use of deep brain stimulation, the patient's communication ability was inconsistent, including only slight eye or finger movements. Now, he regularly uses words and gestures and responds to questions quickly."