Awaken people living plants

The man who lived for 6 years in almost plant condition can now chew food, watch movies and talk to relatives. He returned from the dead thanks to a new method of scientists.

This 38-year-old man is the first patient in a very low alert state to be treated with deep stimulation in the brain. Accordingly, US researchers use a pacemaker and two electrodes to send electrical impulses to a part of the brain to activate alertness.

His recovery can change the way doctors think about people with severe brain injuries - people who have almost no response but are still alert to some degree.

These patients are often sent back to live the rest of their lives in care camps, with little recovery.

"This is a really forgotten group of patients," said Dr. Ali Rezai, director of the Neurological Recovery Center, Cleveland Hospital, who led the study. "Of course we have to do more research, but I think this light will change the way we still treat or care for people with severe brain damage."

The two electrodes are attached to the brain region of the thalamus, an area that regulates brain activity to match cognitive commands. Then they hooked the wires to the pacemakers batteries that could be programmed, implanted in the chest.

As a result, people in drowsiness have regular cognitive manifestations and even if trying, can talk with simple sounds and symbols. This proves that the brain network still works, and in theory, the thalamus plays a dominant role in the decision.

These electrodes will charge electrical impulses deep into the brain, starting nerve circuits.(Photo: Cleveland Clinic)

The man returned from the maze

Before the accident, he liked to draw, collect jokes and comedy movies. But he was attacked and robbed in 1999, before spending 5 years in a nursing home without hope to regain consciousness. Sometimes he could open his mouth to say "yes", "no" but could not really communicate or feed himself.

His parents agreed to do experimental treatment in August 2005, and doctors saw the results immediately. He was agile and could tilt his head toward the voice. Now, this man can drink water from a cup, remember and say 16 words, watch a movie.

This is the first of 12 patients to undergo the same treatment, in a pilot study approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.

T. An