I’m currently watching a BBC documentary called “Between Life and Death”.

There’s a “neuro intensive care unit” at Addenbrooke Hospital in UK, and they’ve been doing tests on people to figure out whether they have cognitive ability or not, and if there’s any real level of brain function.

I’m curious to know why they don’t just do an fMRI?

¿is it easy to do?

We used to do fMRI at csiro fluids. Not significantly more difficult than normal MRI. Requires liquid helium of course, and incompatible with metal objects such as implants and needles.

So if it’s that simple to do, why don’t they use fMRI as a potential diagnostic method to see if there’s cognitive ability or not in someone with a traumatic brain injury?

JTQ said:

I’m currently watching a BBC documentary called “Between Life and Death”.

There’s a “neuro intensive care unit” at Addenbrooke Hospital in UK, and they’ve been doing tests on people to figure out whether they have cognitive ability or not, and if there’s any real level of brain function.

I’m curious to know why they don’t just do an fMRI?

So what tests are they using?

dv said:

So what tests are they using?

Various tests… I’ve seen them use CT and MRA, but neither of them will show cognitive functioning, but only physical state and blood flow. If a neuro trauma centre is looking for proof of brain function, I’m not sure why they don’t use the fMRI that they sometimes use?

Clearly I’m not a doctor, but was hoping someone here might have some understanding of the reasoning behind it? I’m not sure who else I could ask… It’s not like I could give the trauma centre a call and say “Hey, I saw you guys on TV, can you tell me why…..”

:)