Tag: Coma

Closeup of hand female caregiver holding oxygen mask with cute child patient in hospital bed or home,little girl putting inhalation,doctor or nurse intensive care,health care,support,help concept

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Elizabeth Whately
Date
May 3, 2021

Categorized
Arts & Culture, Medicine and Health, Neuroscience

Tagged
Coma, Consciousness}

A Short Film Explores the Dreamscape of a Child in a Coma

_{While her faithful father waits and tries to connect with her…} _{Elizabeth Whately
May 3, 2021

6

Arts & Culture, Medicine and Health, Neuroscience}

Last week, five animated short films competed for Oscar gold, with the top prize going to the emotionally charged “If Anything Happens I Love You.” The short is a bold examination of bereavement as two parents grapple with the violent loss of their young daughter. It’s a worthy winner. However, my own pick didn’t make the shortlist. WiNDUP (2020), written and directed by young creative Yibing Jiang, is also a poignant meditation on parenthood and grief — in this case, for a child in a possibly irreversible coma — as well as a technical gem. Jiang’s company, Unity, uses custom-built software to create shorts in “real-time 3D” on standard computers. Doing without certain tools that animators take for granted today, Read More ›

Hand turning off the bulb lamp.Turning off the light.

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Michael Egnor
Date
January 31, 2021

Categorized
Medicine and Health, Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Coma, Consciousness, Featured, Jerry Fodor, John Locke, Persistent vegetative state (PVS)}

Your Soul Has No “Off Switch”

_{A major modern misunderstanding of the human mind is to assume that it is like a machine with an “on” and an “off” switch} _{Michael Egnor
January 31, 2021

9

Medicine and Health, Philosophy of Mind}

I have written, in an earlier post, about the problem of “consciousness:” — that is, the problem inherent to the word itself and to the concept it conveys. I believe that “consciousness” is a mere narrative gloss on the mind — it denotes nothing beyond the mental powers of the soul. This is not just linguistic nitpicking. The concept of “consciousness” is much worse than useless. It leads us to misunderstand the mind in a profound way, as I will explain. The point may seem subtle but I believe that, if you think deeply enough about it, you will see that it is obviously true. First, I am not saying “consciousness” is an illusion. or possibly a delusion. This witless Read More ›

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News
Date
October 11, 2020

Categorized
Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Animal Minds, Brain as computer, Coma, Consciousness, Disorders of consciousness, Featured, Half a brain, human brain, Human exceptionalism, Michael Egnor, neuroplasticity, Persistent vegetative state (PVS), Prostheses, Sophia the Robot, Split brain}

Your Mind vs. Your Brain: Ten Things To Know

_{Although we are only beginning to understand the workings of the brain, it clearly isn't the same thing as the mind} _{News
October 11, 2020

9

Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind}

Modern neuroscience research is both shedding light on the brain and revealing the depths of its mysterious relationship with our minds. Read More ›

side view of senior man in coma on bed in hospital

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News
Date
June 10, 2020

Categorized
Medicine and Health, Neuroscience

Tagged
Coma, Disorders of consciousness, Featured, Persistent vegetative state (PVS)}

Is There Hope for People in a Persistent Vegetative State?

_{Yes! Modern neuroscience is shining a light on their minds} _{News
June 10, 2020

2

Medicine and Health, Neuroscience}

Today, many neuroscientists don’t even call it a persistent vegetative state. The new term is disorders of consciousness. One neuroscientist recounts, In the past 20 years, advances in neuroimaging techniques have allowed us to explore brain functions in these altered states of consciousness. One breakthrough study conducted at our lab, in collaboration with the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, involved 54 DoC patients. The researchers asked the patients to perform two mental-imagery tasks while they lay in a brain scanner. In the first, they were asked to imagine playing tennis; in the second, to imagine walking from room to room in their home – mental tasks that are associated with contrasting patterns of neural activity. Remarkably, five patients Read More ›

Sick girl lying on the hospital bed and her mom kiss to support.

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News
Date
April 20, 2020

Categorized
Medicine and Health, Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Abstract thought, Coma, concrete thought, Featured, Michael Egnor, perceptual thought, Robert J. Marks, Terri Schiavo}

Can People in Comas Have Abstract Thoughts?

_{Neurosurgeon Michael Egnor discusses how we might test for that ability} _{News
April 20, 2020

9

Medicine and Health, Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind}

In the recent podcast, “Michael Egnor on Whether People in Comas Can Think,” Robert J. Marks raised an interesting point with Egnor: Can people in comas think abstractly or do they form thoughts only at a much more basic level, given how physically distressed they are? The answer might surprise you.

Can Loved Ones in a Coma Hear Us?

_{Modern brain imaging studies show that very often they can. And, with help from new technology, they can answer us too} _{News
April 15, 2020

9

Medicine and Health, Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind}

Pioneering research using brain imaging (fMRI) over the last fifteen years has shown that, even in deep coma, people can hear, understand, and respond. It’s no longer just anecdotes from caregivers. The controversial Terri Schiavo case might be decided very differently today.

New Evidence That Some Comatose People Really Do Understand

_{Researchers found mental activity in response to verbal commands even in some “completely unresponsive” patients} _{Michael Egnor
June 28, 2019

5

Ethics, Medicine and Health, Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind}

There is growing evidence that many comatose patients are quite aware of what is going on around them. For example, nurses are often very careful not to say upsetting things that the patient can hear because blood pressure often rises dramatically, even in deeply “unaware” comatose patients.