Brain discovery offers new hope
Updated on 07 September 2006
British scientists have discovered that the brain activity of someone in a persistent vegetative state is no different from anyone else's
The brain activity of someone in a persistent vegetative state is no different from anyone else's
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For years, scientists have been debating what happens to people who are in a persistent vegetative state.
Now a British team has discovered that a PVS patient's brain activity is no different from anyone else's.
A 23-year-old woman who spent five months in a coma after a road accident has been found to be able to understand instructions and respond through her thoughts - even though she's unable to move or speak.
Our science correspondent Julian Rush reports on how this development could allow doctors to measure levels of awareness in PVS patients.
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