Man in near-vegetative state wakes up from coma - experiences brain recovery
05/07/2006
We just wanted to say thank you. We will never be able to repay you or express how grateful we are to you for all the support and help. There would have been no one in the world that we would have had in preference to you to act for us.
John, Newcastle Upon Tyne
A man has woken up after being in what doctors describe as a near-vegetative state in a coma for almost twenty years.
Doctors believe that the man has re-grown brain tissue.
The patient fell into a coma after being involved in a road traffic accident almost twenty years ago.
This exciting scientific breakthrough is very encouraging in terms of developing a greater understanding of brain damage recovery.
However, the Journal of Clinical Investigation study could not pin down the exact type of tissue regeneration that had taken place.
Since speaking his first words, the man's speech has improved and he has regained some movement in his legs, but his short-term memory is very poor and he does not understand what has happened to him.
To investigate how the man made his recovery, a team of researchers scanned his brain using a technique called diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).
This enables scientists to look at his brain in detail, so as to see any damage or reorganisation of his white matter.
White matter is the part of the brain that contains nerve fibres wrapped in an insulating fatty substance, called myelin. It is responsible for transmitting information in the brain. Grey matter processes information.
A scan revealed that the man had suffered severe damage to his white matter, but in one region of his brain there was an increase in tissue bulk.
A second scan showed increased white matter in another area of his brain which is associated with movement and co-ordination.
The researchers believe the most likely explanation is that axons, the long thin connections that make links between different brain cells, have re-grown.
This explains the reason why the man came out of the minimally conscious state he was.
Scientists believe that the man experienced a very slow and ongoing self-healing process in the brain.
The lead scientist cautioned that this case was unique, and was not to be expected in all minimally conscious state patients.
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