EMERGING CONSCIOUSNESS PROGRAM
The Emerging Consciousness Program (ECP) at Massachusetts General Hospital is devoted to ensuring all patients with severe brain injury have access to care driven by the latest advances in neuroscience and clinical guidelines.
OUR MISSION
Informed by state-of-the-art clinical neuroscience, the ECP provides specialized clinical expertise to improve the care of patients with impaired levels of consciousness after brain injury.
COVERT CONCIOUSNESS
Technologies such as functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG) used to detect covert consciousness. "Covertly conscious" patients are capable of understanding but unable to respond. Patients whose brains respond to these stimuli may have better treatment outcomes than others.
PARTNERING WITH CAREGIVERS
The MGH ECP team recognizes that a patient's level of consciousness may change with time and place. Caregivers may observe informative behaviors that are not captured in clinic. Using smartphones and other video-capable devices, caregivers can capture these behaviors and share them as an important tool for understanding the diagnosis and prognosis of disorders of consciousness.