Deep Brain Stimulation Used For Traumatic Injury

By Melinda Smith
Washington
07 August 2007

Surgeons at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio revealed they had performed an experimental procedure called Deep Brain Stimulation on a man who had been severely injured in an assault.

For six years he had been in a minimally conscious state. Minimally conscious patients can show arousal and awareness of surroundings. Imaging showed portions of this patient's brain were still intact.

Dr. Ali Rezai of the Cleveland Clinic inserted a pacemaker in a section of the man's brain, called the thalamus. Two days later, the pacemaker was turned on and began sending electrical signals in the first test of Deep Brain Stimulation.

"The language of the brain is electricity. So by using electrical signals, we're activating the brain using its own language."

Over a period of months, the patient became more responsive and regained the ability to chew, swallow food and speak. While the family wishes to be anonymous, the mother says the results have been like a miracle. "My son can now eat. He can cry and he can laugh. I still cry every time I see my son, but it's tears of joy."

Traumatic brain injury can occur during a car crash, a fall or an act of violence. It is the leading cause of death and disability worldwide. It accounts for a large percentage of casualties among U.S. soldiers in Iraq and Iraqi citizens.

Doctors say Deep Brain Stimulation will not work for all patients with brain damage. But they also say it does offer some hope for families still searching for a way to reconnect with their loves ones.

脑深部刺激可治疗外伤伤害

美国俄亥俄州克利夫兰诊所的外科医生透漏他们做了一项试验，这项试验被称为在袭击中严重受伤的人的深部脑刺激。

六年了，他一直处于最低程度地有意识状态。最低程度有意识的病人可以感觉到周围事物。意像表示这些病人中的一部分人的大脑仍是完好的。

克利夫兰诊所的医生，Ali Rezai 在一人的大脑中插入起搏器成为丘脑。两天之后，起搏器开始启动并在首次深部脑刺激测验中发出电子信号。

大脑发出的语言就是电流。所以通过电子信号我们可以使大脑通过应用自己的语言而活跃起来。

几个月过后，病人开始变得更加有反映，并可以咀嚼，吞咽食物和说话。但是亲属是匿名的，母亲说这种结果真是个奇迹。“我儿子可以吃东西了，他可以哭泣和微笑。每次看见儿子都哭，但那是幸福的眼泪。”

大脑外伤伤害常常发生在汽车事故中，跌伤，和暴力行为中。这是造成世界上死亡和伤残的主要原因。这说明战死在伊拉克的美国士兵和伊拉克居民占很大比例。

医生说深部脑刺激不是对所有大脑受伤的病人都起作用。但是他们也表示它确实给予正在寻求自己所爱的家庭一些希望。