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Showing posts from August, 2007

New Hopes After Comma

Man woken from virtual coma after six years By Roger Highfield, Science Editor Last Updated: 7:38pm BST 01/08/2007 Audio : How it works | Mum: 'My boy came back' Mother's plea: `Don't give up hope' A man who spent six years unable to talk, eat or walk as a result of severe brain damage has made a remarkable recovery thanks to a revolutionary implant of electrodes deep in his brain. The American man can now use words and gestures The 38-year-old had been written off by one doctor as a vegetable but he is now able to talk, laugh, drink, chew and carry out simple tasks such as brushing his teeth. The man had been left in a “minimally conscious state” after being beaten up and robbed. He was unable to speak audibly and could only communicate by a nod, or tiny eye or finger movements. He was also unable to chew or swallow, and had to be fed through a tube. His eyes mostly remained shut. But after two electrodes delivered pulses of electricity to arouse his brain, he ca