Managing the circadian rhythms of people with severe brain injuries may help them recover consciousness, according to Austrian doctors.
Bright light stimulation might provide a way to help restore normal rhythms, according to the study.
The researchers say that doctors should consider ensuring that brain injury patients are kept in an environment that mimics patterns of day and night.
Researchers at the University of Salzburg studied 18 patients with severe brain injuries – some with unresponsive wakefulness syndrome and some in a minimally conscious state.
By measuring body temperature they found that patients had circadian cycles that ranged from 23.5 to 26.5 hours. They found that those with the greatest level of consciousness had cycles closest to 24 hours.
They tested bright light stimulation on eight patients for a week – and report positive effects on two patients.
The findings were reported last night in the journal Neurology.
Researcher Dr Christine Blume said: “This is the first time an association has been found between circadian variations in body temperature and arousal in brain-injured patients. Importantly, arousal is essential for consciousness.
“Circadian variations are something doctors should keep in mind when diagnosing patients. The time of the day when patients are tested could be crucial.
"Also, doctors may want to consider creating environments for patients that mimic the light patterns of night and day to help achieve a normal sleep-wake cycle. The hope is that this may help bring a person with a severe brain injury closer to consciousness.”
Neurology 19 April 2017
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