minimally conscious state (MCS) is different than a persistent vegetative state (PVS), which involves wakefulness without awareness of self or surroundings. MCS patients do show some evidence of awareness of self and their surroundings.
“Increased understanding of the neural processing that can take place in the absence of the conscious awareness, and the patterns of neural activity that are associated with volitional action and conscious experience will undoubtedly shed light on the mechanistic differences among the highly heterogeneous, but functionally restricted, population of patients with disorders of consciousness,” Dr. John Whyte, of the Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute in Elkins Park, Pa., wrote in an accompanying comment.
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