Oct 19, 2020 11:33 PM
(This post was last modified: Oct 19, 2020 11:56 PM by C C.)
https://gizmodo.com/brain-injured-man-te...1845414334
INTRO: Doctors in Amsterdam say that a drug usually associated with drowsiness has given a severely brain-injured man brief periods of lucidity. In a recent case report, they describe how a single dose of the drug zolpidem -- more familiarly known by the brand name Ambien -- can temporarily restore the man’s ability to talk and walk. Sadly, the effects last only about two hours, but the man’s case may provide insight into how the brain can be damaged by strokes and other trauma.
According to the case report, published in the journal Cortex last month, the 37-year-old man had suffered a tragic brain injury at age 29. He had choked on a piece of meat, which cut off oxygen to his brain long enough that it caused severe, lasting damage to his neurological function. Though he showed some recovery initially and retained a level of awareness, he soon stopped being able to move independently, talk, or stay awake for very long. For the next eight years, the man’s condition remained the same, and he needed round-the-clock nursing care and a feeding tube to stay alive.
While zolpidem is most often used as a sedative, evidence has been building that it can sometimes have a paradoxical effect, causing alertness in some people, including those with certain neurological disorders that leave them in a coma-like state... (MORE)
INTRO: Doctors in Amsterdam say that a drug usually associated with drowsiness has given a severely brain-injured man brief periods of lucidity. In a recent case report, they describe how a single dose of the drug zolpidem -- more familiarly known by the brand name Ambien -- can temporarily restore the man’s ability to talk and walk. Sadly, the effects last only about two hours, but the man’s case may provide insight into how the brain can be damaged by strokes and other trauma.
According to the case report, published in the journal Cortex last month, the 37-year-old man had suffered a tragic brain injury at age 29. He had choked on a piece of meat, which cut off oxygen to his brain long enough that it caused severe, lasting damage to his neurological function. Though he showed some recovery initially and retained a level of awareness, he soon stopped being able to move independently, talk, or stay awake for very long. For the next eight years, the man’s condition remained the same, and he needed round-the-clock nursing care and a feeding tube to stay alive.
While zolpidem is most often used as a sedative, evidence has been building that it can sometimes have a paradoxical effect, causing alertness in some people, including those with certain neurological disorders that leave them in a coma-like state... (MORE)