Multimodal study of disorders of consciousness
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Multimodal study of disorders of consciousness
IRAS ID
191739
Contact name
Judith Allanson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Cambridge
Duration of Study in the UK
4 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
We remain largely ignorant of the sensory and cognitive functions and underlying mechanisms of patients who fail to fully regain consciousness following brain injury (coma, vegetative state, minimally conscious state). Such ignorance makes an accurate diagnosis very difficult. Estimates of misdiagnosis range from 18-43% of patients (Royal College of Physicians, 2013). The concern is that some patients may be conscious and have the capacity for complex thought processes, but cannot make these abilities known to the external world because of the
severity of their brain injury. Over 15 years ago, we showed, for the first time, that specialized imaging of brain function could identify complex mental processing in patients who were clinically thought to be in the vegetative state. Only a minority (~15%) of patients with DoC show such covert cognition but we do not know whether the remaining ~85% of subjects truly lack significant cognitive capacity, or whether our tools for detecting such brain function are inadequate.
This project will seek to gain a greater understanding of these conditions by developing a multimodal battery of tests to determine the residual sensory and cognitive function of patients in low awareness states. We will use such information to begin to design new treatments and identify patients who might better respond either to arousal therapies, or would benefit from interventions aimed at enhancing the ability to communicate their ability to undertake complex thought with the outside world. We propose to integrate these research developments into clinical tools for diagnosis, prognosis and management. We have a rich track record of interacting with carers, the public and the media, and we will continue to use these interactions to enhance the experience of patients' families, inform the public, and direct health care policy and funding.REC name
East of England - Cambridge Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/EE/0030
Date of REC Opinion
19 Nov 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion