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dc.contributor.authorBAGGIO, Giosuè
dc.contributor.authorMORATTI, Sofia
dc.date.accessioned2013-04-22T12:48:20Z
dc.date.available2013-04-22T12:48:20Z
dc.date.issued2013
dc.identifier.issn1830-7728
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1814/26677
dc.description.abstractRecently, a number of neuroimaging studies have been conducted, aimed at detecting signs of consciousness in patients with a diagnosis of vegetative or minimally conscious state. The contributions appeared during an ongoing international ethical and socio-legal debate, on the admissibility of decisions to withdraw artificial nutrition from vegetative patients, thereby allowing them to die. We argue that neuroimaging is more likely to contribute to medical diagnosis and decision making if two requirements are met. First, those studies inferred awareness from the neural correlates of cognitive processes that are assumed to involve consciousness. However, neural correlates of consciousness proper, as defined by current philosophy and neuroscience, are the only admissible non-behavioral signs of awareness. Second, in those studies patients attempted to answer medically irrelevant questions by modulating their cortical activity in imagery tasks. We suggest patients should instead be queried on matters relevant to their clinical condition and quality of life.en
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.language.isoenen
dc.relation.ispartofseriesEUI MWPen
dc.relation.ispartofseries2013/04en
dc.rightsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessen
dc.rightsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subjectRegulation of medical behavioren
dc.subjectMedical law and ethicsen
dc.subjectRights of patientsen
dc.subjectDisorders of consciousnessen
dc.subjectNeuroethicsen
dc.subjectLaw & neuroscienceen
dc.titleBrain imaging as a diagnostic and as a communicative tool in disorders of consciousnessen
dc.typeWorking Paperen
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