Abstract
Therapeutic attempts of vegetative (VS) and minimally conscious state (MCS) patients include deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the target brain’s nuclei. Forty-six patients in VS and MCS were tested. Ten of them suffered from ischemic encephalopathy (seven in VS and three in MCS), caused by cardiac arrest, were selected using neurophysiologic, clinical, and imaging criteria. DBS target was parafascicular part of left thalamic intralaminar nucleus. One patient in MCS emerged to full awareness, living independently. Another experienced short-term memory impairment and emotional regression. The third in MCS did not improve. One in VS emerged to the level of awareness. This report indicates that if DBS in patients with VS and MCS after selection criteria was applied, 3 out of 10 show DBS-related clinical improvement. Further studies are needed to explore the usefulness of DBS as a therapy for VS and MCS.
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