Consciousness, Loss of

The correlations of deep brain nuclei firing and cerebral cortex activity during recovery from general anesthesia is unclear. In this study, the local field potential (LFP) from the deep brain nuclei and the scalp electroencephalogram (EEG) of the frontal cortex were recorded from patients undergoing deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery during the recovery from general anesthesia, in order to explore the changes and relevance of deep brain nuclei firing and cortex activity during the recovery of consciousness from general anesthesia .

This observational study aims to describe the incidence of episodes of disconnected consciousness (including near-death experience (NDE)) and episodes of connected consciousness in patients admitted to the resuscitation room, who survived a critical condition and who meet at least one of these criteria during their stay in the resuscitation room: (1) deep sedation, (2) intubation, (3) cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or (4) (non-drug-induced) Glasgow Coma Scale score = 3. We also investigate the potential (neuro)physiological markers and biomarkers. In order to help determine the potential risk factors of such episodes, cognitive factors such as dissociative propensity are also investigated. Unexpected visual and auditory stimuli will be displayed. In addition, we assess the evolution of memory, as well as short- and long-term consequences on quality of life, anxiety, and attitudes towards care. Memory of patients who did not meet the above-mentioned criteria are also investigated. A group of 15 healthy participants will be invited to test the stimuli display. Finally, (neuro)physiological parameters of a subsample of dying patients are also investigated.