'Vegetative' patient shows signs of conscious thought

The question of whether outwardly unresponsive patients may in fact be aware of their surroundings is one of the most heated debates in clinical neuroscience, with huge implications for the way such patients are diagnosed and treated. Researchers report that a patient who meets all the criteria of being in a `vegetative state' can perform mental tasks on request, when asked to picture herself either playing tennis or walking around her house, each activity produces a different pattern of brain activation, and these are strikingly similar to those of healthy volunteers.