Brain Images of Woman in Vegetative State Hint at Awareness
What does it mean to be aware, or conscious? A new study completed by British researchers and reported in the journal Science claims that more may be going on inside the brain of people in a vegetative state, than scientists used to believe.
Read the article here.
What do you think? At the end of the article, a scientist discusses the difference between a reaction and a choice. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? What does this imply for the future of "life support" cases? Weigh in with your opinions here...
posted by cldaily @ 9:48 AM
13 Comments:
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In my opinion, I think that if I or one of my loved ones were to be in a persistent vegitative state with little chance of recovery.. brain function or no.. I would rather pull the plug
I agree that knowing about brain function in someone who is in a vegetative state would increase the difficulty in the decision making process but... to me someone who is in a vegetative state and responds to stimuli is doing so not by choice but because it is their bodies natural reaction, which means that they are conscious and aware of their surroundings at some point but for me personally that would be reason enough to pull the plug.
I think that if someone feels as if they are a burden to their loved ones... ( which is how I imagine people in a vegetative state would feel, if infact they do feel anything ) ... they would probably enter a form of depression from feeling "useless."
I would never want me or somebody that I love to be laying helplessly in a hospital bed trapped inside their own body,thinking their own thoughts, but not being able to express them.
I definetly think that this new research will make people think more about pulling the plug but I think that it will only make deciding what you are going to do that much harder on you
No one wants their loved ones to feel as if they murdered them.
I would like to know more about the MRI technology for one thing-- although i think i pretty much understand how it works-- what with the bloodflow to the brain showing what mental activity is going on. I do wonder, though, is that really a good indication of how much mental activity is taking place?
Hypothetically, if I were terri schiavo's husband, i don't really know what i would do in his situation. I would know, of course, it's my wife-- how am i supposed to pull the plug on my wife? And yet again, she's been vegetative for 15+ years-- is it right to keep her alive through all of this in a vegetative state? If she had been vegetative for that long, could it not be assumed that she would not be showing signs of improvement soon? anyway though.
As for the test subject in a vegetative state.... I also find the fact that after a certain period of time, such victims may start to recover slightly from the brain damage (by following the mirror with the eye), and I would like to know more about that as well.
I also find the fact that there are so many people currently just in the US (approx. 35000) in a state between a coma and brain death. That seems like a huge number when you think about it.
It's hard for me to say whether or not it's a reaction or choice. Because doctor's can't prove right now if it is a reaction or choice i dont know how to answer that. i believe though that since there is something going on in the brain, they should not have the plug pulled on them. In my opinion who honestly has the final choice? The spouce? In the Terri Schiavo case, her husband wanted to cut her off for reasons that went beyond just her being a vegetable. I dont think its right that he could do that. Since we are finding the brain functioning as people are in this state, i dont think we should pull the plug on them. Obviuosly they have some idea what is going on. You have to ask yourself the question, How would you like to be in that state knowing that your alive in some sense and the pull the plug on you? I personally would be screaming out dont pull it. I wouldnt want someone to pull the plug on my. TO me, that's a painful death. Having to kind of watch yourself die before your eyes and you have no say. Again, Like i said, since we are finding that the brain functions, these people can sense whats going on. They can feel pain. They can feel and still love and all of that a person does. So my opinion is no we shouldnt pull the plug. I believe that this case will lead to more research and the plug wont be pulled as often and hopefully something will help these people in this state come out of it.
i think it is really just reaction, and if it is the person thinking and having "health brain function" that would give me even more reason to pull the plug. just think they are in so many words trapped in their own head. they cant communicate, move, see, or do anything but sit there and think and go crazy. so hopefully it is just a reaction to the word and just to throw this out there, pulling the plug is a good thing and i would want it done if i was in a veg. state.
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I believe that if a person can not iniate normal activity to take care of onesself that the person is no longer there. If the person can not feed or breath on there own then they have lost what they need to survive because it is our instinct to fight to live and if we are not doing that anymore than we must be unaware of what is going on. I personally would not want to be kept "alive" in that state. I would want them to let my body go because my soul would no longer be there.
this is some weird and crazy stuff. it just confuses me that if part of your brain works then why doesnt it tell you to wake up or something! but i think since reading this articale i would think twice if someone i loved was in that position!
This is really weird. i dont understand why only part of their brains work, if there would be activity then why couldnt the brain tell you to move or anything like that?!?!? since reading this i would think twice if one of my loves ones where in that position!
I think that the British woman did have a choice when it came to the tests done by the psychologists. Being told to invision a tennis game and then doing it is not a reaction. I think that it is amazing that this woman can respond in thought. Although the article did say that this might have been a special case; that in most cases the patients are completely brain dead. My personal point of view is that whether the person has brain activity or not; if they are in a vegitative state for a long period of time the plug should be pulled. I know I wouldn't want to live like that. Especially if I were trapped inside a body that didn't work. It would be incredibly frustrating to be able to think and know whats going on in your mind but not be able to move or say anything. Over all I don't think it's really a big deal whether brain activity is a reaction or choice in vegitative patients. Just pull the plug, move on, and end the suffering for both the patients and the families.
I disagree with the statement because I think the study needs to be researched further. Brain wave activity indicates there is life. Ordinarily, inactive brain waves constitute death. In the British woman’s’ case, she was not conscious but she was not dead. I also feel that deciding whether a person should be cut from life support or not is not a choice to be made by humans. If the patients are meant to die they would.
that stuff sounds crazy but i think that the person probably doesnt really have much of an idea with the outside world while in a comma state, so i agree with the scientist that a reaction to a painful prick is not a decision its instinct and that person is
still in a WAAYY other world
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