After that, his consciousness began to recover very quickly
A team from the University of California, Los Angeles has successfully applied ultrasound brain stimulation technology to wake a patient out of coma. This technique was tested on humans for the first time, and can now be widely used. \
A new, non-invasive technique was used to "restart" the brain of a 25-year-old patient who was in a coma. The only operation that has been used in a similar situation so far involves surgical intervention and is associated with a great risk - we are talking about electrical stimulation of neurons by inserting electrodes into the brain tissue.
Scientists have pioneered technology that is supposed to be much less dangerous. It involves stimulating a region of the brain called the thalamus with low-intensity, narrowly targeted ultrasound pulses. This area is responsible for the redistribution of information from most of the sensory organs to the cerebral cortex, and is also thought to play a role in the process of remembering. The pulses are sent from a device about the size of a cup holder. Scientists explain that this device creates a kind of "acoustic sphere", forcing the brain tissue to work again in normal mode. Ultrasound was used 10 times for 30 seconds with breaks of 10 minutes between turns.
If initially the patient showed almost no signs of consciousness, he only slightly moved, reacting to voices. However, already three days after being exposed to sound impulses, he began to fully realize what was happening around him, nod or shake his head in response to questions, and once even waved his hand, saying goodbye to the doctor. Experts say that this suggests that the condition of a person who was recently in a coma is returning to normal very quickly.
If the technology continues to show its effectiveness, in the future a special helmet can be created on its basis, allowing people to come out of coma quickly, safely and inexpensively, scientists suggest.
The researchers presented the results obtained on the pages of the journal Brain Stimulation.
Dmitry Istrov
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