Is oral feeding compatible with an unresponsive wakefulness syndrome?

Authors: Evelyne Melotte; Audrey Maudoux; Sabrina Delhalle; Charlotte Martial; Georgios Antonopoulos; Stephen Karl Larroque; Sarah Wannez; Marie-Elisabeth Faymonville; Jean-François Kaux; Steven Laureys; Olivia Gosseries; Audrey Vanhaudenhuyse. — Objective: The aim of the study is to explore the possibility of oral feeding in unresponsive wakefulness syndrome/vegetative state (UWS/VS) patients. Method: We reviewed the clinical information of […]

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Brain networks predict metabolism, diagnosis and prognosis at the bedside in disorders of consciousness

Authors: Chennu S; Annen J; Wannez S; Chatelle C; Cassol H; Martens G; Schnakers C; Gosseries O; Menon D; Laureys S. — Recent advances in functional neuroimaging have demonstrated novel potential for informing diagnosis and prognosis in the unresponsive wakeful syndrome and minimally conscious states. However, these technologies come with considerable expense and difficulty, limiting […]

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Intrinsic functional connectivity reduces after first-time exposure to short-term gravitational alterations induced by parabolic flight

Authors: Angelique Van Ombergen; Floris L. Wuyts; Ben Jeurissen; Jan Sijbers; Floris Vanhevel; Steven Jillings; Paul M. Parizel; Stefan Sunaert; Paul H. Van de Heyning; Vincent Dousset; Steven Laureys; Athena Demertzi. — Spaceflight severely impacts the human body. However, little is known about how gravity and gravitational alterations affect the human brain. Here, we aimed […]

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Mirror efficiency in the assessment of visual pursuit in patients in minimally conscious state

Authors: Sarah Wannez; Audrey Vanhaudenhuyse; Steven Laureys; Serge Brédart. — Objective: Visual pursuit should be tested with a mirror in patients with disorders of consciousness. This stimulus was indeed more efficient than a person or an object, and the auto-referential aspect was supposed to be the key feature. The present study tested the hypothesis that […]

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Assessment of needs, psychological impact and quality of life in families of patients with locked-in syndrome

Authors: Zulay Lugo; Fréderic Pellas; Veronique Blandin; Steven Laureys; Olivia Gosseries. — Objective. Family needs of patients with acquired brain injuries have been studied for about three decades. In this study, we assessed the needs, the quality of life and the psychological state of relatives of patients with locked-in syndrome (LIS). Design: A survey was […]

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The effect of spaceflight and microgravity on the human brain

Authors: Van Ombergen A; Demertzi A; Tomilovskaya E; Jeurissen B; Sijbers J; Kozlovskaya I; Parizel P; Van de Heyning P; Sunaert S; Laureys S; Wuyts F. — Microgravity, confinement, isolation, and immobilization are just some of the features astronauts have to cope with during space missions. Consequently, long-duration space travel can have detrimental effects on […]

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Spasticity Management in Disorders of Consciousness

Authors: Martens G; Laureys S; Thibaut A. — Background: Spasticity is a motor disorder frequently encountered after a lesion involving the central nervous system. It is hypothesized to arise from an anarchic reorganization of the pyramidal and parapyramidal fibers and leads to hypertonia and hyperreflexia of the affected muscular groups. While this symptom and its […]

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Functional Connectivity Substrates for tDCS Response in Minimally Conscious State Patients

Authors: Caveliere C; Aiello M; Di Perri C; Amico E; Martial C; Thibaut A; Laureys S; Soddu A. — Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive technique recently employed in disorders of consciousness, and determining a transitory recovery of signs of consciousness in almost half of minimally conscious state (MCS) patients. Although the rising […]

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