Publication Type | Academic Article |
Authors | Bardin J, Fins J, Katz D, Hersh J, Heier L, Tabelow K, Dyke J, Ballon D, Schiff N, Voss H |
Journal | Brain |
Volume | 134 |
Issue | Pt 3 |
Pagination | 769-82 |
Date Published | 03/01/2011 |
ISSN | 1460-2156 |
Keywords | Brain, Brain Injuries, Cognition Disorders, Magnetic Resonance Imaging |
Abstract | Functional neuroimaging methods hold promise for the identification of cognitive function and communication capacity in some severely brain-injured patients who may not retain sufficient motor function to demonstrate their abilities. We studied seven severely brain-injured patients and a control group of 14 subjects using a novel hierarchical functional magnetic resonance imaging assessment utilizing mental imagery responses. Whereas the control group showed consistent and accurate (for communication) blood-oxygen-level-dependent responses without exception, the brain-injured subjects showed a wide variation in the correlation of blood-oxygen-level-dependent responses and overt behavioural responses. Specifically, the brain-injured subjects dissociated bedside and functional magnetic resonance imaging-based command following and communication capabilities. These observations reveal significant challenges in developing validated functional magnetic resonance imaging-based methods for clinical use and raise interesting questions about underlying brain function assayed using these methods in brain-injured subjects. |
DOI | 10.1093/brain/awr005 |
PubMed ID | 21354974 |
PubMed Central ID | PMC3044833 |