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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 16, 2026

Assessment and Communication for People with Disorders of Consciousness
07:37

Assessment and Communication for People with Disorders of Consciousness

Published on: August 1, 2017

Covert cognition in the persistent vegetative state.

P Nachev1, P M S Hacker

  • 1Institute of Neurology, UCL, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK. p.nachev@imperial.ac.uk

Progress in Neurobiology
|February 9, 2010
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Detecting covert cognition in patients with disorders of consciousness is challenging. Current interpretations of brain activity in persistent vegetative state (PVS) patients suggesting consciousness are not fully supported by available data.

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Last Updated: Jun 16, 2026

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11:05

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Combined Invasive Subcortical and Non-invasive Surface Neurophysiological Recordings for the Assessment of Cognitive and Emotional Functions in Humans
08:25

Combined Invasive Subcortical and Non-invasive Surface Neurophysiological Recordings for the Assessment of Cognitive and Emotional Functions in Humans

Published on: May 19, 2016

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Science
  • Clinical Neurology

Background:

  • Brain injury can lead to unresponsive wakefulness, raising questions about hidden cognitive abilities.
  • Some patients in persistent vegetative state (PVS) show brain activity similar to conscious individuals when given tasks.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To critically evaluate the interpretation of brain activity as evidence of covert consciousness in PVS patients.
  • To establish a framework for assessing psychological states in PVS based on physiological data.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of existing neuroimaging data from PVS patients performing cognitive tasks.
  • Conceptual analysis of assumptions underlying the interpretation of brain activity.
  • Development of a framework for attributing psychological states.

Main Results:

  • Current interpretations of brain activity in PVS patients suggesting covert consciousness rely on untested or untestable assumptions.
  • Existing data do not definitively support the inference of consciousness from observed brain patterns.

Conclusions:

  • The inference of covert consciousness in PVS patients from current neuroimaging data is premature.
  • A rigorous conceptual framework is needed for future studies investigating psychological attributes in PVS.