BCI Performance and Brain Metabolism Profile in Severely Brain-Injured Patients Without Response to Command at Bedside.

Abstract

Detection and interpretation of signs of "covert command following" in patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC) remains a challenge for clinicians. In this study, we used a tactile P3-based BCI in 12 patients without behavioral command following, attempting to establish "covert command following." These results were then confronted to cerebral metabolism preservation as measured with glucose PET (FDG-PET). One patient showed "covert command following" (i.e., above-threshold BCI performance) during the active tactile paradigm. This patient also showed a higher cerebral glucose metabolism within the language network (presumably required for command following) when compared with the other patients without "covert command-following" but having a cerebral glucose metabolism indicative of minimally conscious state. Our results suggest that the P3-based BCI might probe "covert command following" in patients without behavioral response to command and therefore could be a valuable addition in the clinical assessment of patients with DOC.

• Authors: Jitka Annen, Séverine Blandiaux, Nicolas Lejeune, Mohamed A Bahri, Aurore Thibaut, Woosang Cho, Christoph Guger, Camille Chatelle, Steven Laureys
• Journal: Frontiers in neuroscience (Front Neurosci) Vol. 12 Pg. 370 ( 2018) ISSN: 1662-4548 [Print] Switzerland
• PMID: 29910708 (Publication Type: Journal Article)