How Common Is Cognitive Motor Dissociation in Behaviorally Unresponsive Patients with Severe Brain Injuries?

Imaging indicates that a substantial proportion of such patients can modulate brain activity in response to verbal instructions.

For nearly 20 years, single-center studies have identified survivors of severe brain injury who appear unable to follow commands but who demonstrate the ability to willfully modulate their brain activity in response to instructions. This cognitive motor dissociation (CMD), identifiable by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) or electroencephalography (EEG), has also been associated with greater likelihood of neurological improvement. Now, researchers report findings from the largest investigation to date of this phenomenon, a prospective observational study performed at six international centers.

In the convenience sample of patients with severe brain injury, 241 unresponsive patients in a coma, vegetative state, or minimally conscio…

Reviewing Author

Craig A. Williamson, MD, MS

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardNational Football League

RoyaltiesUpToDate, Inc.

Grant/Research SupportNational Institutes of Health

Editorial BoardsNeurocritical Care