Abstract
Increasing evidence from studies of brain responses to subject’s own name (SON) indicates that residual consciousness is preserved in patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC) and that specific network activation might provide evidence of consciousness. However, it remains unclear whether SON is suitable for detection of emotional consciousness; moreover, the particular aspects of brain network organization that are critical for consciousness are unknown. The present study used an innovative approach to explore affective consciousness in patients with DOC during emotional stimuli. EEG data were acquired from 15 patients and 15 healthy volunteers. We analyzed brain potentials and functional network connectivity with a passive emotional paradigm based on graph theoretical methods. Larger N1 or P3a was detected in patients upon exposure to emotional sound, relative to neutral stimuli. Brain topology revealed that emotional sound evoked significantly stronger network linkages in healthy controls; additionally, it evoked several connectivity changes in patients with DOC. In conclusion, emotional consciousness might be partially preserved in patients with DOC; moreover, EEG network patterns could provide new insights into the neural activity of emotional perception in these patients.
Highlights
Probing consciousness in noncommunicating patients is an important challenge in the field of neuroscience
A considerable amount of recent evidence indicates that some patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC) might show preservation of covert awareness, detectable with Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and EEG
To minimize semantic processing, emotion was portrayed through meaningless interjection in our study; further, neural mechanisms were explored by conventional EPR and functional network connectivity
Summary
Probing consciousness in noncommunicating patients is an important challenge in the field of neuroscience. The Coma Recovery Scale–Revised (CRS-R) continues to be a rational and practical choice for assessment of patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC) [1, 2]. Because of motor and language deficits, the evaluation of non-reflex. Jian Gao and Min Wu contributed to this work. There is evidence to suggest that patients with DOC may not exhibit detectable cerebral responses at rest, or upon the application of simple brain stimulation paradigms, as such patients cannot cross the threshold for plasticity modifications; they exhibit no detectable response [6]. Emotion is a key aspect involved in individuals’ experiences of their external environment and can persist in subjects with
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