ARNMD 87th Annual Conference: Disorders of Consciousness

描述（由申请人提供）：神经影像学和神经科学的进展为改善对严重脑损伤引起的意识障碍的理解提供了重要的希望。这次会议将集中在汇集基础神经科学家和研究人员集中在不同的临床环境中的意识障碍患者的神经影像学研究。本次会议的目标是推进诊断方法和实验性治疗策略的知识，并确定从事这些患者人群研究的专业人员面临的挑战。该计划将开始的更新和讨论的神经机制的基础上清醒的意识状态。植物人状态（VS）和最低意识状态（MCS）患者的最新神经影像学结果，以及相关的条件，如全身性癫痫和麻醉，然后将进行讨论。演讲将探讨几种技术，包括正电子发射断层扫描，功能磁共振成像，定量脑电图和脑磁图，以及扩散张量磁共振成像研究。严重脑损伤后相对较长时间的恢复过程强调需要开发用于识别可能具有进一步有意义恢复潜力的患者的标记物。然而，将神经影像学引入临床评价过程将需要研究者和临床医生之间的密切合作，以组织新兴的知识，以便科学进步可以帮助塑造患者的护理。为此，参与意识障碍患者评估的每个阶段的临床医生将在其临床背景下解决神经影像学的目标。最后，将讨论这一不断发展的研究的广泛和关键的伦理层面。本次会议的目标将是提供诊断方法和实验治疗策略知识进步的最新观点，并确定从事这些患者人群研究的专业人员面临的挑战。与会者将了解严重脑损伤引起的意识研究的重要性，这些研究与临床研究和治疗相关。通过出版会议记录，将向更广泛的受众提供对未来研究和临床护理至关重要的信息。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Advances in neuroimaging and neuroscience hold significant promise for improving the understanding of disorders of consciousness arising from severe brain injuries. This meeting will focus on bringing together basic neuroscientists and investigators focusing on neuroimaging studies of patients with disorders of consciousness in different clinical settings. The goal of this meeting is to advance knowledge of diagnostic methods and experimental therapeutic strategies as well as identify challenges for professionals engaged in the study of these patient populations. The program will begin with an update and discussion of the neuronal mechanisms underlying the awake conscious state. Recent neuroimaging findings from patients in the vegetative state (VS) and minimally conscious state (MCS), and related conditions such as generalized epilepsies and anesthesia will then be discussed. Presentations will canvass several techniques including positron emission tomography, functional magnetic resonance imaging, quantitative electroencephalography and magnetoencephalography, and diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging studies. The relatively long time courses of recovery following severe brain injury emphasize the need to develop markers for identifying patients who may harbor further potential for meaningful recovery. Introduction of neuroimaging into the clinical evaluation process, however, will require a close collaboration among investigators and clinicians to organize the emerging knowledge so that scientific advances may help shape the care of patients. To this end clinicians engaged in each stage of evaluation of patients with disorders of consciousness will address the goals of neuroimaging in their clinical context. Finally, the broad and critical ethical dimensions of this evolving research will be discussed. The goal of this meeting will be to provide a state of the art view of advances in knowledge of diagnostic methods and experimental therapeutic strategies as well as identify challenges for professionals engaged in the study of these patient populations. Attendees will gain an understanding of the importance of studies of consciousness arising from severe brain injuries that are emerging as relevant for clinical research and treatment. Through publication of the proceedings information critical to future research and clinical care to a wider audience will be provided.