Mass General Brigham researchers have developed an AI tool that analyzes brain wave activity recorded during sleep using electroencephalography (EEG), a non-invasive technique that measures electrical activity in the brain through sensors placed on the scalp.

It's nearly impossible not to look at a comatose patient and wonder if they have any awareness. A new study may soon help doctors identify not just which unresponsive patients may possess some degree of consciousness - but whether they have a chance for recovery.

Researchers found that sleep spindles, brief bursts of brain activity, may predict recovery in unresponsive brain injury patients. Patients with these waves were more likely to regain consciousness and functional independence.

Scientists have found that brain-injury patients with hidden consciousness may show signs of recovery through their sleep patterns. Sleep spindles — brief bursts of brain activity — are linked to higher chances of regaining consciousness and independence.

New research from Columbia University and NewYork-Presbyterian may soon help physicians identify unresponsive brain-injury patients with hidden consciousness who are likely to achieve long-term recovery by looking for brain waves that are indicative of normal sleep patterns.

Several studies in the past decade have revealed that up to a quarter of unresponsive patients with recent brain injuries may possess a degree of consciousness that’s normally hidden from their

New research suggests certain sleep patterns can help predict whether comatose patients will regain consciousness.