Glucose metabolism in brain
linked to responsiveness of
patient Courtesy: Stender et al.
linked to responsiveness of
patient Courtesy: Stender et al.
PET scans may measure returning consciousness after brain injury
June 02, 2016
by Christina Hwang, Contributing Reporter
Using PET scanning, researchers have measured the amount of glucose metabolized by the brain and discovered that it can directly predict a person’s current level of awareness, or the likelihood of becoming conscious within the year.
In the study, Ron Kupers from the University of Copenhagen and Yale University, along with Johan Stender and colleagues from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark and the University of Liege in Belgium, hoped to develop a more reliable diagnostic marker for assessing consciousness.
They measured glucose metabolism using FDG-PET to capture and map the glucose uptake of the brain in 131 patients suffering from either full or partial loss of consciousness.
According to Stat News, 49 patients were in a vegetative state, 65 were minimally conscious, and 17 were coming out of the minimally conscious state. The vegetative patients had an average of 38 percent of the brain activity that healthy people did, and the minimally conscious patients had an average of 56 percent.
The minimal brain activity for a patient to be considered consciously aware is 42 percent, and the patients who had a glucose metabolism below this number did not recover consciousness at the one year follow up. However, almost all of the patients with a brain activity above 42 percent either showed signs of awareness at the first examination or were conscious within a year.
“In nearly all cases [94 percent], whole-brain energy turnover directly predicted either the current level or awareness or its subsequent recovery,” said Ron Kupers in a statement, “Our findings indicate that there is a minimal energetic requirement for sustained consciousness to arise after brain injury.”
Stender said that their study could imply that consciousness “ignites” when brain activity reaches a certain level, and though their research did not focus on this topic directly, could be used for future research.
“[Our study] can help clinicians determine the potential for recovery of awareness in patients suffering from severe brain injury of any kind,” said Kupers. They believe that it is important to verify their findings in an independent patient population and have plans to explore how brain metabolism changes over time in patients who are brain-injured.
In the study, Ron Kupers from the University of Copenhagen and Yale University, along with Johan Stender and colleagues from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark and the University of Liege in Belgium, hoped to develop a more reliable diagnostic marker for assessing consciousness.
They measured glucose metabolism using FDG-PET to capture and map the glucose uptake of the brain in 131 patients suffering from either full or partial loss of consciousness.
According to Stat News, 49 patients were in a vegetative state, 65 were minimally conscious, and 17 were coming out of the minimally conscious state. The vegetative patients had an average of 38 percent of the brain activity that healthy people did, and the minimally conscious patients had an average of 56 percent.
The minimal brain activity for a patient to be considered consciously aware is 42 percent, and the patients who had a glucose metabolism below this number did not recover consciousness at the one year follow up. However, almost all of the patients with a brain activity above 42 percent either showed signs of awareness at the first examination or were conscious within a year.
“In nearly all cases [94 percent], whole-brain energy turnover directly predicted either the current level or awareness or its subsequent recovery,” said Ron Kupers in a statement, “Our findings indicate that there is a minimal energetic requirement for sustained consciousness to arise after brain injury.”
Stender said that their study could imply that consciousness “ignites” when brain activity reaches a certain level, and though their research did not focus on this topic directly, could be used for future research.
“[Our study] can help clinicians determine the potential for recovery of awareness in patients suffering from severe brain injury of any kind,” said Kupers. They believe that it is important to verify their findings in an independent patient population and have plans to explore how brain metabolism changes over time in patients who are brain-injured.