A 25-year-old man recovering from a coma has made remarkable progress following a treatment at UCLA to jump-start his brain using ultrasound. The technique uses sonic stimulation to excite the neurons in the thalamus, an egg-shaped structure that serves as the brain’s central hub for processing information. Until now, the only way to achieve this was a risky surgical procedure known as deep brain stimulation, in which electrodes are implanted directly inside the thalamus. The new, ultrasound approach directly targets the thalamus but is noninvasive. The researchers expected the positive result, but he cautioned that the procedure requires further study on additional patients before they determine whether it could be used consistently to help other people recovering from comas. They admitted that it's possible they were just very lucky and happened to have stimulated the patient just as he was spontaneously recovering. http://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/u...rasound-to-jump-start-a-mans-brain-after-coma
