Knowledge Tree
disorders of consciousness
Also known as: DoC, post-comatose disorders of consciousness, chronic disorders of consciousness
Facts (58)
Sources
A Synergistic Workspace for Human Consciousness Revealed by ... elifesciences.org 29 facts
measurementA total of 71 patients with Disorders of Consciousness (DOC) were recruited from specialized long-term care centers between January 2010 and December 2015.
procedurePatients were eligible for the study on chronic disorders of consciousness if they had a diagnosis of a chronic disorder of consciousness, provided written informed consent from a legal representative, and could be transported to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, UK.
referenceThe study 'Measures of metabolism and complexity in the brain of patients with disorders of consciousness' published in NeuroImage: Clinical evaluates measures of metabolism and complexity in the brains of patients suffering from disorders of consciousness.
procedureThe network-based statistic approach is a nonparametric statistical method used to investigate the statistical significance of propofol-induced or DOC-induced alterations in graph data, designed to control the family-wise error due to multiple comparisons.
claimIn human patients suffering from disorders of consciousness, stimulation of intra-laminar central thalamic nuclei has been reported to induce behavioural improvement.
claimLoss of consciousness in anesthesia and disorders of consciousness is characterized by a breakdown of entry points to the 'synergistic core,' which prevents the proper integration of inputs for the workspace.
referenceThe study 'Whole-brain modelling identifies distinct but convergent paths to unconsciousness in anaesthesia and disorders of consciousness' was published in Communications Biology (volume 5).
measurementThe test statistic for shared effects across datasets is the minimum of three F-scores obtained from comparisons of DOC vs awake, anaesthesia vs awake, and anaesthesia vs recovery.
measurementAnalysis based on the ΦR measure revealed a widespread reorganization of integrated information throughout the brain when comparing awake volunteers against patients with chronic disorders of consciousness (p < 0.001).
claimLoss of consciousness due to general anaesthesia or disorders of consciousness corresponds to a diminished ability of the synergistic workspace to integrate information, which is restored upon recovery.
measurementThe study analyzed three resting-state fMRI datasets: 100 subjects from the Human Connectome Project, 15 healthy volunteers scanned before and after propofol-induced general anesthesia, and 22 patients with chronic disorders of consciousness resulting from severe brain injury.
referenceThe research paper titled 'Ultrasonic thalamic stimulation in chronic disorders of consciousness' was published in the journal Brain Stimulation.
referenceThe study 'Fractal dimension of cortical functional connectivity networks & severity of disorders of consciousness' was published in PLoS ONE (volume 15, pages 1–20).
referenceThe research paper titled 'Ultrasonic Deep Brain Neuromodulation in Acute Disorders of Consciousness: A Proof-of-Concept' was published in the journal Brain Sciences.
procedureResting-state fMRI data for the study on chronic disorders of consciousness was acquired for 10 minutes (300 volumes, TR=2000ms) using a Siemens Trio 3T scanner located in Erlangen, Germany.
referenceThe research paper titled 'Recovery from disorders of consciousness: mechanisms, prognosis and emerging therapies' was published in Nature Reviews Neurology.
procedurePatients admitted to the study on chronic disorders of consciousness spent five days at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, where they underwent clinical and neuroimaging testing, maintained their prescribed medication, and received daily Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R) assessments.
procedureThe study on chronic disorders of consciousness excluded patients with medical conditions deemed unsafe by clinical personnel, patients with non-MRI-safe implants, patients with substantial pre-existing mental health problems, or patients lacking English language fluency prior to their injury.
claimResearchers identified common changes across three states of consciousness (Disorders of Consciousness, anaesthesia, and wakefulness/recovery) by defining edges in terms of ΦR (Integrated Information) that consistently increased or decreased across specific comparisons: Disorders of Consciousness versus control, anaesthesia versus wakefulness, and anaesthesia versus post-anaesthetic recovery.
referenceThe paper 'Dopaminergic brainstem disconnection is common to pharmacological and pathological consciousness perturbation' by Guedj et al. (2021) reports that a disconnection in the dopaminergic brainstem is a shared feature in both pharmacological (anesthesia) and pathological (disorders of consciousness) states of altered consciousness.
measurementThe study on chronic disorders of consciousness included 22 adults (14 males, aged 17–70 years, with a mean time post-injury of 13 months) who met diagnostic criteria for Unresponsive Wakefulness Syndrome or Minimally Conscious State.
procedureThe researchers tested hypotheses regarding consciousness using resting-state fMRI data from 15 healthy volunteers scanned before, during, and after propofol anesthesia, and 22 patients with chronic disorders of consciousness.
claimThe original formulation of Integrated Information Theory (Φ) introduced by Balduzzi and Tononi did not identify reductions in integrated information common across anaesthesia and disorders of consciousness, but instead identified common increases.
measurementA synergy-based measure of emergent dynamics in functional MRI recordings is disrupted in patients suffering from chronic disorders of consciousness.
measurementThe study authors observed a paradoxical net increase in lateral prefrontal integrated information during anaesthesia and disorders of consciousness (DOC).
claimUltrasonic stimulation and deep-brain stimulation are potential therapies currently being considered for patients with disorders of consciousness.
claimThe loss of consciousness across anaesthesia and disorders of consciousness corresponds to anterior-posterior disconnection between default mode network nodes that act as gateways into the synergistic workspace.
referenceThe research paper titled 'Central thalamic contributions to arousal regulation and neurological disorders of consciousness' was published in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.
claimIn the study on chronic disorders of consciousness, patients were classified as Unresponsive Wakefulness Syndrome (UWS) if their behavioural responses were not indicative of awareness, and as Minimally Conscious State (MCS) if they showed behavioural evidence of simple automatic motor reactions, visual fixation and pursuit, or localisation to noxious stimulation.
A virtual clinical trial of psychedelics to treat patients with disorders ... eurekalert.org Nov 24, 2025 7 facts
referenceAlnagger et al. published a study in the journal Advanced Science that utilized personalized computational models of patients' brains, constructed from individual functional MRI and diffusion-weighted imaging scans, to virtually simulate the effects of LSD and psilocybin on patients with disorders of consciousness.
claimThe simulation of LSD and psilocybin on patients with disorders of consciousness boosted the patients' responses to perturbations.
claimPatients with disorders of consciousness (DoC) exhibit reduced dynamic brain function, which is hypothesized to result in decreased consciousness.
claimThe virtual clinical trial conducted by Alnagger et al. demonstrated that LSD and psilocybin could shift brain activity in patients with disorders of consciousness towards healthier, more flexible, and complex dynamics.
claimAlnagger et al. validated their method of simulated perturbations by showing that the response to perturbation was lower in states of lower consciousness, such as in patients with disorders of consciousness and healthy participants under anaesthesia, compared to normal waking consciousness.
claimThe proposed treatment for disorders of consciousness (DoC) relies on the premise that a short-term increase in the complexity of brain activity in patients could result in improvements in their conscious state.
claimThe simulated treatment effect of psychedelics was greater in patients with minimally conscious state (MCS) compared to patients with unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (UWS) in the study 'A Virtual Clinical Trial of Psychedelics to Treat Patients With Disorders of Consciousness'.
Psychedelics Assessed In New Virtual Clinical Trial - EMJ emjreviews.com Nov 27, 2025 4 facts
claimResearchers hypothesize that administering psychedelic drugs could enhance responsiveness in patients with disorders of consciousness because these drugs are known to increase dynamical complexity in healthy individuals.
claimIn patients with disorders of consciousness, the simulated use of LSD and psilocybin shifted brain activity towards more flexible and complex dynamics.
claimIn patients with disorders of consciousness, the complexity of brain activity is reduced, which limits the ability of patients to recover awareness.
claimThe virtual clinical trial method was validated by demonstrating that responses to perturbations were lower in states of reduced consciousness, such as in patients with disorders of consciousness and healthy people under anaesthesia, compared with normal waking states.
Classification Schemes of Altered States of Consciousness - ORBi orbi.uliege.be 3 facts
referenceP. Fritz, N. Lejeune, H. Cassol, S. Laureys, O. Gosseries, and C. Martial authored 'Near-Death Experiences: What Do We Know?', published in the book 'Coma and Disorders of Consciousness' by Springer International Publishing in 2023.
referenceGiacino, J.T., Fins, J.J., Laureys, S., and Schiff, N.D. published 'Disorders of consciousness after acquired brain injury: the state of the science' in Nature Reviews Neurology, volume 10, issue 2, pages 99–114, in 2014.
referenceGosseries, O., Bruno, M.A., Chatelle, C., Vanhaudenhuyse, A., Schnakers, C., Soddu, A., and Laureys, S. published 'Disorders of consciousness: what's in a name?' in NeuroRehabilitation, volume 28, issue 1, pages 3–14, in 2011.
Theories and Methods of Consciousness biomedres.us Jan 29, 2024 2 facts
referenceChennu S and Bekinschtein T A published 'Arousal modulates auditory attention and awareness: insights from sleep, sedation, and disorders of consciousness' in Frontiers in Psychology in 2012, volume 3, page 65.
referenceDemertzi A, Caroline Schnakers, Andrea Soddu, Marie Aurélie Bruno, Olivia Gosseries, et al. published 'Neural plasticity lessons from disorders of consciousness' in Frontiers in Psychology in 2011, volume 1, page 245.
Recovery from disorders of consciousness: mechanisms, prognosis ... pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov 2 facts
Sleep in Disorders of Consciousness: A Brief Overview on a Still ... pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Feb 7, 2023 1 fact
claimThe review article titled 'Sleep in Disorders of Consciousness: A Brief Overview on a Still ...' aims to investigate the anatomo-physiological basis of the sleep/wake cycle, as well as the main sleep patterns and sleep disorders in patients with disorders of consciousness.
Adversarial testing of global neuronal workspace and ... - Nature nature.com Apr 30, 2025 1 fact
referenceThe article 'Disorders of consciousness diagnosis, interventions, and prognostication for the intensivist: Report of the 2025 ISICEM roundtable' published in Intensive Care Medicine in 2026 cites the Nature article 'Adversarial testing of global neuronal workspace and integrated information theories of consciousness'.
(PDF) The Use of Psychedelics in the Treatment of Disorders of ... researchgate.net Jan 4, 2021 1 fact
claimThe document titled 'The Use of Psychedelics in the Treatment of Disorders of Consciousness' is an interview that discusses the potential of psychedelic drugs as a treatment for disorders of consciousness.
Psychedelics and disorders of consciousness: the current landscape ... pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Jun 15, 2024 1 fact
claimBrain-complexity enhancing psychedelics have been suggested as a potential treatment for individuals suffering from post-comatose disorders of consciousness (DoC).
[PDF] Proceedings of the Second Curing Coma Campaign NIH Symposium dspace.mit.edu 1 fact
referenceThe paper titled 'Psychedelics as a treatment for disorders of consciousness' was published in the journal Neuroscience of Consciousness in 2019 (Volume 2019, Issue 1, Article niz003).
Global Workspace vs. Integrated Information: Testing… templetonworldcharity.org 1 fact
perspectiveScientists may discover that the truth about consciousness lies between or beyond current theories by working together in adversarial collaborations, potentially leading to improved treatments for disorders of consciousness and a deeper understanding of brain function.
A Virtual Clinical Trial of Psychedelics to Treat Patients With ... advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com Nov 20, 2025 1 fact
claimDisorders of consciousness following severe brain injury are characterized by reduced complexity of brain activity and limited treatment options.
[PDF] The Use of Psychedelics in the Treatment of Disorders of ... - ORBi orbi.uliege.be 1 fact
claimPsychedelic drugs are considered a promising treatment for disorders of consciousness.
Psychedelics as a treatment for disorders of consciousness - PMC pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Apr 21, 2019 1 fact
perspectiveThe authors of the paper 'Psychedelics as a treatment for disorders of consciousness' propose that psilocybin, a classic psychedelic, should be explored as a treatment to increase conscious awareness in patients with disorders of consciousness (DoC).
The ethics of psychedelic research in disorders of consciousness pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov 1 fact
referenceThe article titled 'The ethics of psychedelic research in disorders of consciousness' provides an ethical analysis of conducting psychedelic research on patients with disorders of consciousness.
Psychedelics and disorders of consciousness - Oxford Academic academic.oup.com 1 fact
claimThere is currently less academic discussion regarding the use of psychedelic substances to treat disorders of consciousness compared to the discussion surrounding their use for psychiatric conditions.