Patient Revives After 19 Years By Rewiring Brain

Patient Revives After 19 Years By Rewiring Brain 419

Posted by Zonk on Tuesday July 04, 2006 @09:57AM from the my-favorite-organ dept.

dylanduck writes "A study of the recovery of a man who spent 19 years in a minimally conscious state has revealed the likely cause of his regained consciousness - his brain rewired itself around the injured areas into totally novel structures. It suggests the human brain shows far greater potential for recovery and regeneration then ever suspected." From the article: "There were ... significant changes between scans taken just two months after the recovery, and the most recent, at 18 months. Some of the new pathways had receded again, while others seem to have strengthened and taken over as Wallis continued to improve."

Patient Revives After 19 Years By Rewiring Brain

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I, for one... (Score:1, Funny)

by Red Samurai ( 893134 ) writes: on Tuesday July 04, 2006 @10:00AM (#15655916)

Welcome our new mutant self-rewiring brained overlord into the future.

So, did he get X-ray vision? (Score:5, Funny)

by 10Ghz ( 453478 ) writes: on Tuesday July 04, 2006 @10:01AM (#15655918)

"Surprisingly, the circuits look nothing like normal brain anatomy"

Well, it IS possible! Right?

Damn typical slashdot stories (Score:5, Funny)

by zegebbers ( 751020 ) writes: on Tuesday July 04, 2006 @10:01AM (#15655921) Homepage

it took me about 5 tries before I realised this wasn't about brain patents :(

Please note... (Score:5, Funny)

by Homology ( 639438 ) writes: on Tuesday July 04, 2006 @10:05AM (#15655934)

that although Slashdot regulars generally are in a "minimally conscious state", for rewiring to occur there must be something to rewire in the first place.

Re:Patent Reviews? (Score:3, Funny)

by corychristison ( 951993 ) writes: on Tuesday July 04, 2006 @10:06AM (#15655935)

*looks around*

*slowly and uneasily raises right hand*

Yeah but can he see the future? (Score:5, Funny)

by gijoel ( 628142 ) writes: on Tuesday July 04, 2006 @10:07AM (#15655938)

Because I'd be pretty pissed if I spent 18 years in a coma and I wasn't psychic.

Most interesting... (Score:4, Funny)

by dk-software-engineer ( 980441 ) * writes: on Tuesday July 04, 2006 @10:08AM (#15655943)

Wow. The brain is without doubt the most interesting part of the (male) human body.

Terri Schiavo... (Score:5, Funny)

by l33td00d42 ( 873726 ) writes: on Tuesday July 04, 2006 @10:11AM (#15655960)

... was unavailable for comment.

/so going to hell

Someone has to break the news (Score:3, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Tuesday July 04, 2006 @10:13AM (#15655966)

The Cosby Show is over.

Yes! (Score:5, Funny)

by MyLongNickName ( 822545 ) writes: on Tuesday July 04, 2006 @10:21AM (#15655995) Journal

There is hope for Slashdot after all!

Hmm... (Score:3, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Tuesday July 04, 2006 @10:23AM (#15656005)

After rewiring his brain he is now BS 7671 compliant and can be used in europe.

Hope for Earth's lowest? (Score:3, Funny)

by business_kid ( 973043 ) writes: <business.kid@nOSPAm.linuxmail;.org> on Tuesday July 04, 2006 @10:24AM (#15656011)

Does this mean that the incurably unintellectual politicians and religious leaders we seem to put in charge of everything can hope to rewire and do a better Job :-)?

Re:Yeah but can he see the future? (Score:5, Funny)

by metamatic ( 202216 ) writes: on Tuesday July 04, 2006 @10:24AM (#15656012) Homepage Journal

"What do you mean, 18 years and it's still President Bush?"

Re:Most interesting... (Score:2, Funny)

by Alexandra Erenhart ( 880036 ) writes: <saiyanprincess@gma i l . c om> on Tuesday July 04, 2006 @10:24AM (#15656013) Homepage

Isn't that common in (male) humans?

Re:So, did he get X-ray vision? (Score:5, Funny)

by CaymanIslandCarpedie ( 868408 ) writes: on Tuesday July 04, 2006 @10:27AM (#15656028) Journal

Everyone knows you don't get x-ray vision from being in a comma and having your brain rewire itself. You become a physchic who can see the past and present simply by touching people or objects.

Oblig. Simpsons (Score:5, Funny)

by amliebsch ( 724858 ) writes: on Tuesday July 04, 2006 @10:33AM (#15656063) Journal

NEWSIE:
Tonight, on Eyewitness News: a man who's been in a coma for 19 years wakes up.
MAN:
Do Sonny and Cher still have that stupid show?
NEWSIE:
No, uh, she won an Oscar, and he's a Congressman.
MAN:
Good night! [Turns over and dies.]

Re:So, did he get X-ray vision? (Score:5, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Tuesday July 04, 2006 @10:43AM (#15656101)

How about if you're in a semi-colon? Or a period?

Re:19 years? (Score:3, Funny)

by the.mutts.nuts ( 107159 ) writes: on Tuesday July 04, 2006 @10:49AM (#15656121)

Nah, being in a "minimally conscious state" means they were able to put him to work as a hospital administrator.

Re:I, for one... (Score:3, Funny)

by maxwell demon ( 590494 ) writes: on Tuesday July 04, 2006 @10:53AM (#15656146) Journal

Sure it is... The classics never get old...

I for one welcome our new classic overlords.

Re:So, did he get X-ray vision? (Score:5, Funny)

by siriuskase ( 679431 ) writes: on Tuesday July 04, 2006 @11:08AM (#15656199) Homepage Journal

How about if you're in a semi-colon? Or a period?

If surviving a period makes you better, that would explain women.

Re:what exactly (Score:2, Funny)

by Ramble ( 940291 ) writes: on Tuesday July 04, 2006 @11:10AM (#15656210) Homepage

This [whitehouse.gov] video gives you some idea of what minimally conscious means.

Re:Damn typical slashdot stories (Score:5, Funny)

by babbling ( 952366 ) writes: on Tuesday July 04, 2006 @11:20AM (#15656249)

Software patients must be stopped.

Re:TERRI SCHIAVO (December 3, 1963 - March 31, 200 (Score:5, Funny)

by plunge ( 27239 ) writes: on Tuesday July 04, 2006 @11:23AM (#15656259)

Over the past few years, I've steadily built up respect and mod-points to the point where I have a +1 comment bonus. Well, it was all for this one moment: so that I could say something that needs to be said, and yet still have my account and maybe even my +1 bonus survive the consequences. ...

You, sir, or madam, are embarrasingly stupid.

Re:Nope. (Score:4, Funny)

by MyLongNickName ( 822545 ) writes: on Tuesday July 04, 2006 @11:27AM (#15656270) Journal

Untrue. Managers have half a brain, so this actually brings usage up to 6%. We round to ten just to be nice.

Re:So, did he get X-ray vision? (Score:1, Funny)

by john83 ( 923470 ) writes: on Tuesday July 04, 2006 @11:30AM (#15656279)

Mod parent up. Grammatical pedants shoudln't be this funny.
Bugger. Hartman's Law shouldn't extend to people complimenting the grammar nazi. Thatll teach me to use the preview button.

Re:Damn typical slashdot stories (Score:2, Funny)

by heinousjay ( 683506 ) writes: on Tuesday July 04, 2006 @11:30AM (#15656280) Journal

Yes, babbling, yes. Very good. You've got the chant down, now you just need to figure out when it's applicable.

Re:I, for one... (Score:4, Funny)

by Spy der Mann ( 805235 ) writes: <`moc.liamg' `ta' `todhsals.nnamredyps'> on Tuesday July 04, 2006 @11:36AM (#15656301) Homepage Journal

We need a name for this recovery process. How about "brain nukem forever"? :)

Re:I, for one... (Score:3, Funny)

by LiquidAvatar ( 772805 ) writes: on Tuesday July 04, 2006 @11:41AM (#15656322) Journal

Welcome! To the world of... tomorrow!

Obligatory Emo Phillips (Score:4, Funny)

by greenguy ( 162630 ) writes: <`estebandido' `at' `gmail.com'> on Tuesday July 04, 2006 @12:05PM (#15656441) Homepage Journal

"I used the thing the brain was the most amazing organ in the body. Then I realized, well, look what's telling me that!"

Re:Poor guy (Score:5, Funny)

by Pink Tinkletini ( 978889 ) writes: on Tuesday July 04, 2006 @12:13PM (#15656466) Homepage

"The governor of California is WHO?!?"

Battlestar Galactica (Score:2, Funny)

by StarWreck ( 695075 ) writes: on Tuesday July 04, 2006 @12:18PM (#15656486) Homepage Journal

19 years ago the original Battlestar Galactica would have still been a fresh show with state-of-the-art effects. We should show him the new Battlestar Galactica just to watch how fast he goes back into another coma!

Re:So, did he get X-ray vision? (Score:1, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Tuesday July 04, 2006 @12:20PM (#15656497)

People with semi-colons will just have to continue using their colostomy bags.

Re:So, did he get X-ray vision? (Score:4, Funny)

by BrettJB ( 64947 ) writes: on Tuesday July 04, 2006 @12:20PM (#15656498)

Thatll teach me to use the preview button.

Apparently the lesson hasn't quite sunk in yet...

Reminds me of an update to an old joke (Score:4, Funny)

by Daniel Dvorkin ( 106857 ) * writes: on Tuesday July 04, 2006 @12:36PM (#15656564) Homepage Journal

From TFA: a difficult process considering he believed himself to be 19, and that Ronald Reagan was still president.

So this guy's in coma for 19 years, and he wakes up, and he asks, "How's President Reagan doing?" And the doctor says, "Sir, Reagan is dead." And the guy says, "Oh God, no, that means Bush is President!"

(The original was Eisenhower and Nixon. The more things change ...)

Delta brain wave (Score:4, Funny)

by DaFallus ( 805248 ) writes: on Tuesday July 04, 2006 @12:55PM (#15656629)

Somehow he has cobbled together a random assortment of other brainwaves into a working mind.

Re:Yeah but can he see the future? (Score:4, Funny)

by InvisibleSoul ( 882722 ) writes: on Tuesday July 04, 2006 @02:52PM (#15657034)

And the weirdest thing is, not only has he not aged, he's gotten younger!

Umm... psychic? (Score:4, Funny)

by Chmcginn ( 201645 ) writes: on Tuesday July 04, 2006 @03:11PM (#15657098) Journal

Because it wouldn't be something if you were psychic while in a coma, for 18 years. I mean, who would you tell?

I guess it depends on what kind of psychic you're talking about... but I would assume the ability to recieve and broadcast... In which case it would be the perfect cover. Who's going to suspect the guy in the almost-coma of being the one secretly controlling the world, eh?

Re:That sucks (Score:3, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Tuesday July 04, 2006 @08:39PM (#15657959)

I'd suggest 6th grade English, in your case.

Re:So, did he get X-ray vision? (Score:1, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Tuesday July 04, 2006 @10:40PM (#15658185)

If surviving a period makes you better, that would explain women.
:s/better/bitter/

Re:Terri Schiavo... (Score:4, Funny)

by Ohreally_factor ( 593551 ) writes: on Wednesday July 05, 2006 @03:31AM (#15658840) Journal

And she was in a vegetative state. So why wasn't she re-growing? I suspect there was a liberal conspiracy to deny her fertilizer.

There may be more comments in this discussion. Without JavaScript enabled, you might want to turn on Classic Discussion System in your preferences instead.

I, for one... (Score:1, Funny)

So, did he get X-ray vision? (Score:5, Funny)

Damn typical slashdot stories (Score:5, Funny)

Please note... (Score:5, Funny)

Re:Patent Reviews? (Score:3, Funny)

Yeah but can he see the future? (Score:5, Funny)

Most interesting... (Score:4, Funny)

Terri Schiavo... (Score:5, Funny)

Someone has to break the news (Score:3, Funny)

Yes! (Score:5, Funny)

Hmm... (Score:3, Funny)

Hope for Earth's lowest? (Score:3, Funny)

Re:Yeah but can he see the future? (Score:5, Funny)

Re:Most interesting... (Score:2, Funny)

Re:So, did he get X-ray vision? (Score:5, Funny)

Oblig. Simpsons (Score:5, Funny)

Re:So, did he get X-ray vision? (Score:5, Funny)

Re:19 years? (Score:3, Funny)

Re:I, for one... (Score:3, Funny)

Re:So, did he get X-ray vision? (Score:5, Funny)

Re:what exactly (Score:2, Funny)

Re:Damn typical slashdot stories (Score:5, Funny)

Re:TERRI SCHIAVO (December 3, 1963 - March 31, 200 (Score:5, Funny)

Re:Nope. (Score:4, Funny)

Re:So, did he get X-ray vision? (Score:1, Funny)

Re:Damn typical slashdot stories (Score:2, Funny)

Re:I, for one... (Score:4, Funny)

Re:I, for one... (Score:3, Funny)

Obligatory Emo Phillips (Score:4, Funny)

Re:Poor guy (Score:5, Funny)

Battlestar Galactica (Score:2, Funny)

Re:So, did he get X-ray vision? (Score:1, Funny)

Re:So, did he get X-ray vision? (Score:4, Funny)

Reminds me of an update to an old joke (Score:4, Funny)

Delta brain wave (Score:4, Funny)

Re:Yeah but can he see the future? (Score:4, Funny)

Umm... psychic? (Score:4, Funny)

Re:That sucks (Score:3, Funny)

Re:So, did he get X-ray vision? (Score:1, Funny)

Re:Terri Schiavo... (Score:4, Funny)

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