Cambridge quarterly of healthcare ethics : CQ : the international journal of healthcare ethics committees
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Camb Q Healthc Ethics · Oct 2016
Ethical and Clinical Considerations at the Intersection of Functional Neuroimaging and Disorders of Consciousness.
Recent neuroimaging research on disorders of consciousness provides direct evidence of covert consciousness otherwise not detected clinically in a subset of severely brain-injured patients. These findings have motivated strategic development of binary communication paradigms, from which researchers interpret voluntary modulations in brain activity to glean information about patients' residual cognitive functions and emotions. ⋯ These advances have generated demands for access to the technology against a complex background of continued scientific advancement, questions about just allocation of healthcare resources, and unresolved legal issues. Interviews with professionals whose work is relevant to patients with disorders of consciousness reveal priorities concerning further basic research, legal and policy issues, and clinical considerations.