An artificial intelligence tool called SeeMe detects signs of covert consciousness by analyzing microscopic facial movements invisible to the naked eye.
Breakthrough Technology Study Sheds Light on Consciousness and Recovery After Brain Injury
An artificial intelligence tool called SeeMe detects signs of covert consciousness by analyzing microscopic facial movements invisible to the naked eye.
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A new study published in Nature Communications Medicine led by neurosurgery researchers Sima Mofakham, PhD, and Chuck Mikell, MD, of the Renaissance School of Medicine( RSOM) at Stony Brook University, provides clinicians with data about the path to consciousness after traumatic brain injury( TBI) that may help pave the way for more personalized and effective patient care strategies in critical care and rehabilitation settings.
Every year, thousands of brain-injured patients are labeled as“ unresponsive” in hospitals across the United States. Yet new research reveals that up to one quarter of these individuals may be conscious but just unable to show it. This disconnect, known as cognitive motor dissociation( CMD), represents one of the most urgent diagnostic blind spots in neurology and critical care.
To address this problem, Drs. Mofakham and Mikell developed a first-of-its-kind artificial intelligence( AI) tool called SeeMe, which detects signs of covert consciousness by analyzing microscopic facial movements invisible to the naked eye. Their findings suggest that SeeMe can identify signs of awareness four-to-eight days earlier than traditional clinical exams.
The work directly addresses the central dilemma outlined in a landmark 2024 study in The New England Journal of Medicine by Bodien et al., which found that 15 to 25 percent of patients diagnosed as unresponsive in the intensive care unit( ICU) may retain high-level brain function, but standard