The perception of pain and its management in disorders of consciousness

One of the most controversial issues in the management of patients in a vegetative state or a minimally conscious state concerns their hypothetical capacity to continue to experience pain despite an apparent absence of self- and environmental awareness. Recent functional neuroimaging studies have shown a greater perception of pain in patients in minimally conscious state compared with patients in vegetative state, suggesting the possible involvement of preserved cognitive mechanisms in the process of pain modulation in the former. In addition, a subgroup of patients might continue to experience some elementary emotional and affective feelings, as suggested by the reported activation of specific cerebral areas in response to situations, which commonly generate empathy. However, the available evidence is not sufficient to draw conclusions about the presence or absence of pain experience in patients with disorders of consciousness. Future studies should contribute to a better understanding of which central neural pathways are involved in the perception and modulation of pain in healthy subjects and in patients with severe brain injuries. Such studies should thus also improve our know-how about pain management in this particularly challenging group of patients.