engleski

Microscopic Insight into the Human Consciousness

BACKGROUND: Recent reports delivered consciousness into a materialistic realm and it has become quite tangible and attainable in form of a small, unilateral area1 with a prospect of using functional neuroimaging developments and deep-brain stimulation. Stimulation, including different pathological processes (diffuse hemispheric damage, brain-stem damage or bilateral thalamic damage) disruptes consciousness.Changes in the claustrum would be microscopically visible on post-mortem neurons similar to the changes described in paper of Pulsinelli and Brierley. HYPOTHESIS: - microscopically assessing claustrum/insula complexes of 15 deceased “minimally conscious” patients. Ability of claustral projection neurons that express the gene encoding the vesicular glutamate transporter (Vglut) 2 should help us identify the claustrum. Neuronal cell death will be assessed at 200× magnification, according to 0-3 scale by estimating the percentage of acidophilic neurons. Control group should comprise of 15 counterparts, deceased as traumatic brain injury (TBI) victims presented with: diffuse hemispheric damage (N=7), brain-stem damage or bilateral thalamic damage (N=8). PURPOSE: Highlighting the detachment of modern consciousness concept from the established criteria of declaring death, demonstrating benefits of simple microscopic examination.

claustrum; death

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