A P300-based cognitive assessment battery

Aaron Kirschner, Damian Cruse, Srivas Chennu, Adrian M. Owen, Adam Hampshire
2015 Brain and Behavior  
It is well established that some patients who are diagnosed as being in a vegetative state or a minimally conscious state show reliable signs of volition that may only be detected by measuring neural responses. A pertinent question is whether these patients are capable of higher cognitive processes. Methods: Here, we develop a series of EEG paradigms that probe several core aspects of cognition at the bedside without the need for motor responses and explore the sensitivity of this approach in a
more » ... group of healthy controls. Results: Using analysis of ERPs alone, this method can determine with high reliability whether individual participants are able to attend a stimulus stream, maintain items in working memory, or solve complex grammatical reasoning problems. Conclusion: We suggest that this approach could form the basis of a brainbased battery for assessing higher cognition in patients with severe motor impairments or disorders of consciousness.
doi:10.1002/brb3.336 pmid:26085962 pmcid:PMC4467771 fatcat:xy7yyatlurfxzewxt33qx5k4wa