Steven Laureys and colleagues ask whether functional imaging methods such as fMRI and PET can be used to detect consciousness in individual patients. Recent studies have showed activation patterns in a vegetative patient that are comparable to helahty subjects. One pertinent question is therefore whether we can move from group studies towards individual scans. Here, Laureys et al. still have reservations, saying that “[published] data are insufficient to make recommendations for or against any of the neurorehabilitative treatments in vegetative state and minimally conscious state patients.”

How should functional imaging of patients with disorders of consciousness contribute to their clinical rehabilitation needs? Laureys S, Giacino JT, Schiff ND, Schabus M, Owen AM. 2006 Dec ; 19 (6): 520-527

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What happens following injury to the thalamus? In this case study Edelstyn, Hunter & Ellis demonstrate a patient with dorsolateral thalamic damage with specific deficits in conscious processing.

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What is the nature of attention deficits following right side lesions? A common syndrome is the unilateral neglect phenomenon. However, even if patients do not meet the criteria for such a disorder, right hemispheric lesions produce significant attentional changes. In this article, Habekost and Rostrup analyze this effect using a recently re-published theory of visual attention.

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