@article{ref1,
title="Visual pursuit in the severe disorder of consciousness",
journal="Journal of neurotrauma",
year="2011",
author="Dolce, Giuliano and Lucca, Lucia Francesca and Rogano, Stefania and Candelieri, Antonio and Pignolo, Loris and Sannita, Walter G.",
volume="28",
number="7",
pages="1149-1154",
abstract="Visual pursuit is a key descriptor of the minimally conscious state (above 80% of cases). It is also observable in about 20% of subjects in vegetative state, and its re-appearance after severe brain damage anticipates a favorable outcome, with recovery of consciousness in 73% of subjects (45% in the absence of it). We considered retrospectively 395 subjects in vegetative state because of traumatic (63%), massive acute vascular (30%) or diffuse anoxic-hypoxic (7%) brain damage consecutively admitted to one dedicated unit in the years 1998- 2008. Visual tracking was observed in 290 subjects (73.4%) and was already detectable within 50 days from brain injury in about 60% of posttraumatic or vascular subjects and 21% of anoxic-hypoxic patients. After 230 days of follow-up or more, it was observed in 89% and 88% of posttraumatic and vascular subjects and in 67% of anoxic-hypoxic patients. Rating at the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) was better in those subjects with recovered visual tracking and inversely correlated with the time of re-appearance in posttraumatic and vascular subjects; also the subjects with late recovery of eye tracking (230 days or more) had better GOS outcome than those without it. The observation of visual tracking re-appearing in subjects in vegetative state would reflect recuperation of the brainstem-cortical interaction and overall brain functional organization that are thought to sustain consciousness and are interfered with by the &quot;functional disconnection&quot; resulting in the vegetative state.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0897-7151",
doi="10.1089/neu.2010.1405",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/neu.2010.1405"
}