Correlation of event-related P300 potential with apallic syndrome remission

Several neurophysiological parameters correlate with the outcome of acute coma, but no parameter to date has been established which correlates with the remission of apallic syndrome. We modified a well-documented method using the P300 potential, which is usually evoked by a stimulus demanding attention. In case of non-compliance, the patient's first name, an accepted attention-getter, may serve as target stimulus. We recorded the patient's name, used it as target stimulus (20% probability), constructed a computer-generated meaningless derivate containing the same physical characteristics (wave band, volume, dura…