Abstract
The diagnosis and management of disorders of consciousness in children continue to present a clinical, research, and ethical challenge. Though the practice guidelines for diagnosis and management of disorders of consciousness in adults are supported by decades of empirical and pragmatic evidence, similar guidelines for infants and children are lacking. The maturing conscious experience and the limited behavioral repertoire to report consciousness in this age group restrict extrapolation from the adult literature. Equally challenging is the process of heightened structural and functional neuroplasticity in the developing brain, which adds a layer of complexity to the investigation of the neural correlates of consciousness in infants and children. This review discusses the clinical assessment of pediatric disorders of consciousness and delineates the diagnostic and prognostic utility of neurophysiological and neuroimaging correlates of consciousness. The potential relevance of these correlates for the developing brain based on existing theoretical models of consciousness in adults is outlined.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 49-58 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Journal of Clinical Neurophysiology |
| Volume | 39 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jan 1 2022 |
Keywords
- Brain development
- EEG
- Evoked potentials
- Neuroplasticity
- Pediatric disorders of consciousness coma
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Clinical Neurology
- Neurology
- Physiology (medical)
- Physiology