【科技日报】“植物人”意识恢复的共性神经机制揭示

Core Insights - A joint research team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, and Hangzhou Normal University has identified common neural mechanisms for consciousness recovery in patients with severe brain injuries, providing critical insights into a global medical challenge [1][2] - The study reveals that there are approximately 1 million patients in China with consciousness disorders, with an annual increase of 50,000 to 100,000 cases [1] Group 1: Research Findings - The research utilized deep brain stimulation patient data and artificial intelligence to analyze neural activity patterns in the thalamus, identifying a neural metric that can predict consciousness recovery across various causes, ages, and severity levels [1][2] - The study discovered three distinct recovery trajectories, highlighting a category of "hidden recoverers" who, despite appearing to be in a severe vegetative state, show stable thalamic neural oscillations, with over half of these patients successfully regaining consciousness [2] Group 2: Implications and Future Directions - The findings suggest that consciousness recovery may follow two distinct pathways: one that enhances neural activity intensity first, followed by stability, and another that does the opposite, corresponding to different patient types with recovery potential [2] - The research team is actively developing non-invasive detection technologies based on high-density EEG and AI prognostic systems to translate these scientific breakthroughs into practical applications for patients [2]