Scientists bring back ‘vegetative’ patients by stimulating their brains with electricity

Scientists have brought coma patients – and even patients in a vegetative state – back so they could communicate with their families.

The technique works by ‘zapping’ the brain with a low-intensity current – and two patients in a vegetative state, plus 13 in a minimally conscious coma, showed new signs of awareness.

Researchers at the University of Liege in Belgium told New Scientist that the effects lasted for up to a week – and could offer hope for people with communication disorders.

The patients underwent a procedure called transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) – which some people use in DIY ‘kits’ to boost brain function.

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Using it on coma patients is a first – with the equipment trialled on 16 brain-damaged patients who had not been able to communicate for three months.

After being stimulated for 20 minutes a day, two patients were able to answer questions by moving parts of their bodies – and others showed signs of awareness.

Dr Aurore Thibaut said: ‘’You can find similar devices online, but we don’t know the long-term effects yet.

‘We need to see what happens when we use it for perhaps five hours a day, or what happens if we apply it daily for three months. We need to be really careful.’