Neural Responses to Heartbeats Detect Residual Signs of Consciousness during Resting State in Postcomatose Patients
Journal of Neuroscience March 23, 2021 Diego Candia‐rivera, Jitka Annen, Olivia Gosseries et al. 81 citations
Heartbeat-evoked responses (HERs) in resting-state EEG can distinguish between postcomatose patients who are unresponsive and those in a minimally conscious state with 87% accuracy, 96% sensitivity, and 50% specificity. HERs provide more accurate classification than random EEG segments not locked to heartbeats or heart rate variability. HER-based consciousness scores correlate with glucose metabolism in the right superior temporal sulcus and right ventral occipitotemporal cortex. HERs reflect consciousness diagnosis based on brain metabolism better than behavior-based diagnosis (77% validation accuracy). These findings suggest HERs capture a capacity for consciousness that does not necessarily translate into intentional overt behavior.