Researchers used artificial intelligence to spot hidden signs of consciousness in comatose patients long before they were noticed by doctors, according to a new study.
Using an algorithm, the researchers were able to analyze patients’ facial movements, including tiny changes that were too discrete to be visually noticeable, but could be clinically meaningful. “When somebody recovers consciousness, it’s almost like a flickering bulb,” one expert told Scientific American.
Known as “covert consciousness,” people in this state have been shown to be able to respond to cues through their brain activity, even as they appeared to be completely comatose.
The work could help clinicians treat patients with brain injuries, researchers said.