Clinical EEG (electroencephalography)
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Clin Electroencephalogr · Oct 1999
ReviewConsciousness as a definition of death: its appeal and complexity.
A new formulation of death proposed in this study is based on the basic physiopathological mechanisms of consciousness generation in human beings. Two physiological components control conscious behavior: arousal and awareness (content of consciousness). We cannot simply differentiate and locate arousal as a function of the ascending reticular activating system and awareness as a function of the cerebral cortex. ⋯ Therefore, consciousness does not bear a simple one-to-one relationship with higher or lower brain structures, because the physical substratum for consciousness is based on anatomy and physiology throughout the brain. This new account of human death is based on the irreversible loss of consciousness because it provides the key human attributes and the highest level of control in the hierarchy of integrating functions within the organism. The notion of consciousness as the ultimate integrative function is more consistent with the biologically-based systems than the more philosophically-based notions of personhood.
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Clin Electroencephalogr · Oct 1999
Quantitative EEG during early recovery from hypoxic-ischemic injury in immature piglets: burst occurrence and duration.
This study examined the course of EEG recovery in an animal model of hypoxic-ischemic injury. The model used periods of hypoxia, room air and asphyxia to induce cardiac arrest. One-week-old piglets (n = 16) were exposed to a period of hypoxia, room air and complete asphyxia for 7 minutes. ⋯ The critical determinant of the bursting character was the time when bursting occurred. Bursting occurring early in recovery was a good gauge of outcome. We conclude that quantitative EEG analysis and interpretation can be an important tool for the outcome determination during recovery from cerebral injury states.