Purpose of this document
- to summarise an alalysis of media representation, and family reactions, to novel neuro-technology studies on patients in vegetative or minimally conscious states
- to draw out the implications for those involved in promoting/representing science.
The research
Novel neuro-technology studies attempting to detect consciousness in apparently vegetative patients is a high-profile and on-going area of scientific enquiry. We examined the public representation of two key studies which used functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to examine brain activity in vegetative or minimally conscious patients. We also interviewed family members with severely brain injured relatives, some of whom had undergone fMRI.
Read the full study paper on the Cardiff University website.
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