The work by Monti et al. showing that functional MRI may reveal willful brain activation in a small proportion of patients in a vegetative or minimally conscious state confirms the potential role of neuroimaging technology to elucidate mechanisms of brain recovery and to refine the diagnostic boundaries among disorders of consciousness. This distinction is of paramount importance for prognosis, treatment decisions, and medicolegal judgments. However, in the accompanying editorial, Ropper cautions that this work is still preliminary. Moreover, troubling ethical concerns are hidden behind the issue of clinical research.
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