Study show woman with severe brain injury recovered ability to communicate

A study published Dec. 7 in Science Translational Medicine followed Margaret Worthen’s progress for three years after suffering massive strokes that left her with severe brain damage. According to the study, she eventually regained the ability to communicate by using her left eye. The study suggests that Worthen eventually had restored function and connections in the areas of her brain responsible for producing expressive language and responding to human speech.

The study was conducted by scientists from Weill Cornell Medicine.

“To measure the changes in Ms. Worthen’s brain as she improved this form of communication, the researchers used a number of imaging tools. The main technique, called diffusion tensor imaging, uses structural information about the brain obtained by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to make measurements that enable scientists to infer connection between specific areas,” a press release on Science Daily reads. “The research signifies the first time that scientists have captured the restoration of communication of a minimally conscious patient by measuring aspects of brain structure and function before and after communication resumed.”

Scientists say it also raises the question of whether other patients who appear to be minimally responsive or completely unresponsive may harbor organized, higher-level brain function.

“For the first 21 months after Worthen’s strokes, most doctors diagnosed her as being in a vegetative state, unable to speak and unaware of herself and her environment. Then, during her first visit with Dr. Schiff’s team, doctors detected an ability to respond to their command to look down with her left eye,” the press release reads. “Her ability was initially intermittent, but over the course of a year she developed a one-way communication system. She was able to respond to yes and no questions, such as ‘Is your name Margaret?’ or ‘Is your father’s name Michael?’ by moving her left eye down or up, but lacked a method to ask questions or use a brain-computer interface.”

Researches used imaging tools to track Worthen’s progress with the main one being diffusion tensor imaging, which uses MRI technology to make measurements that enable scientists to infer connection between specific areas.

“Dr. Schiff and his colleagues found evidence for two critical processes — most prominently, reconnection of Broca’s area, the region of the brain located in the frontal lobe of the dominant hemisphere that is associated with language and speech,” the press release reads. “In addition, the two hemispheres of the patient’s brain had increased their connectivity. The findings suggest that reconnection began within the left hemisphere and extended to the right, corresponding to the restoration of Ms. Worthen’s ability to communicate.”