This Test Could Detect 'Hidden Consciousness' in Comatose Patients

#45 in our top science stories of 2019.

By Megan Schmidt
Dec 15, 2019 6:00 PMDec 16, 2019 6:02 PM
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It’s hard to know what’s happening in the mind of a comatose patient. But new research suggests EEGs can reveal hidden consciousness, more easily, cheaply and effectively than MRIs. (Credit: AJPhoto/Science Source)

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There are some things that life never prepares you for — like the phone call that a loved one is in a coma, and you’re responsible for making their if they don’t wake up. These decisions are further complicated by the fact that there’s no true test for consciousness, and it’s difficult for doctors to predict who will emerge from a coma and who won’t.  

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