Kempny, Agnieszka Maria; (2018) Near Infrared Spectroscopy and Electroencephalography For an Assessment of Brain Function in patients with Disorders of Consciousness. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

There is growing evidence that some of the patients presenting with the Vegetative State (VS), also known as Unresponsive Wakefulness State, can respond to environmental stimuli. This response can be detected by using functional brain imaging, including electroencephalography (EEG) or Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS). By definition, the VS patients are awake but not aware, unlike the patients in the Minimally Conscious State (MCS), who have some fluctuating awareness. Since consciousness is impaired in both conditions, these states are also referred as Disorders of Consciousness (DOC) or prolonged Disorders of Consciousness (pDOC) This thesis aims to develop a bedside applicable tool using the EEG and NIRS for brain function assessment in VS and MCS patients. In this study, two experimental protocols have been developed and validated on healthy subjects. The results showed that using the motor imagery and own subject name stimuli, some of the VS patients were able to wilfully modulate their brain activity in response to those stimuli. The results presented in this thesis can be implemented as a part of a protocol for brain function assessment in pDOC patients and can be used for the further studies for better understanding of the brain function in these patients.

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