Dr. Brian Edlow joins the MGH Research Scholars Class of 2023

Annually, more than one million individuals worldwide suffer from severe brain injuries. The prompt recovery of consciousness is a crucial factor in predicting long-term recuperation. In the intensive care unit (ICU), around 15-20% of patients may have covert consciousness, surpassing what their bedside behavioral assessment indicates.

Lacking reliable methods to detect consciousness in the ICU, clinicians and families might terminate life-sustaining therapy too soon. This is the cause of death for up to 80% of patients with acute severe brain injuries. Hence, it is vital to develop new tools that can identify covert consciousness accurately.

Dr. Edlow heads a multidisciplinary team that aims to improve and execute a novel technique - transcranial magnetic stimulation electroencephalography (TMS-EEG) - in the ICU to detect consciousness and anticipate recovery in patients with severe brain injuries.

TMS-EEG has demonstrated unparalleled precision in detecting consciousness in patients with persistent brain injuries. This provides a strong clinical and ethical rationale for translating TMS-EEG to the ICU.

If successful, this project can detect covert consciousness indications, avoid premature termination of life-sustaining therapy in the ICU, and potentially save lives.