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对提高对严重脑损伤引起的意识障碍的理解具有重大的希望。这次会议的重点是将基础神经科学家和研究人员聚集在一起，专注于不同临床环境下意识障碍患者的神经影像学研究。本次会议的目标是提高诊断方法和实验性治疗策略的知识，并确定从事这些患者群体研究的专业人员面临的挑战。该计划将从更新和讨论清醒意识状态下的神经元机制开始。植物人状态（VS）和最低意识状态（MCS）患者的最新神经影像学发现，以及相关的疾病，如全面性癫痫和麻醉，将在随后讨论。报告将详细介绍几种技术，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的康复过程强调需要开发标志物来识别可能具有进一步有意义的康复潜力的患者。然而，将神经影像学引入临床评估过程，将需要研究者和临床医生之间的密切合作，以组织新兴知识，以便科学进步可能有助于塑造患者的护理。为此，参与意识障碍患者评估的每个阶段的临床医生将在他们的临床环境中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维度。本次会议的目标是提供诊断方法和实验性治疗策略知识进展的最新观点，并确定从事这些患者群体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。通过出版对未来研究和临床护理至关重要的信息，将提供给更广泛的受众。

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.