[eli5] Do people in vegetative states form complex thoughts?
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Every brain injury is unique so it’s hard to provide a blanket answer to any questions about them.
In some cases the damage is very extensive and it’s highly unlikely that much of anything is occurring in the badly damaged tissues.
In other cases the damage is more localized, fully disabling motor function but leaving some of the processing structures intact. In that case it’s very possible that processing is still occurring.
There are examples of patients reacting to external stimulation on brain activity scans and even rare cases of people communicating through what little motor control remains – but there are also a large number of cases where there is little detectable brain function.
Some certainly do. Look into Locked In Syndrome. Some can even communicate via brain waves. There’s a story of a boy who had it and eventually got better and was able to tell his mother that he remembered her coming into his room and cursing and wishing he was dead.
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