The Mystery of Consciousness and the Vegetative State | Martin Monti | TEDxClaremontColleges

How can we define consciousness and establish who or what possess it? Martin Monti shares his work including research into developing a method of answering the question of whether some comatose patients can demonstrate consciousness.

Martin M. Monti has been an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Psychology and Neurosurgery at UCLA since 2011. Prior to moving to UCLA, he obtained his PhD in Psychology and Neuroscience from Princeton University and was a Research Scientist at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit in Cambridge UK. His research addresses two fundamental questions concerning some of the most characterizing aspects of “being human”: ‘what is consciousness, and why do we lose it (and sometimes recover it) after severe brain injuries?’ and ‘what is the relationship between language and thought?’

[donvaughnofficial]

Wow - this work is absolutely incredible and well-delivered. It's some of the most important and direct work on understanding conciousness.

[mdarnell]

I’m so happy n releived to know someone with real creativity, compassion and ingenuity to solve so many consciousness less problems.... I hope you are truly considering the alternative of people being anesthesia awareness. Like I was. They would have just needed to see my brain and know that I was fully aware and able to do anything... but move ....😱

[dhernandee]

Amazing talk. Such a pleasure working with you, Dr. Monti!

[imawake]

My most vivid memory is the exact moment I first became conscious, the memory of all the senses are very clear to me even at the age of 50.

[phungphuong]

I am so sad that this amazing vid has so few views

[cakerus]

on 3 june 2023 my brother went unconscious
His eyes rolled back
...and doctors told us that he has a heart attack and as a result have hypoxic brain injuury...
uptill now there is no complete treatment for this thing..

He was a healthy person before...

Its been 4 months now almost

initially he can only open his eyes with limited look around movement..
now
He can move his lips tongue and eyebrows a little.
And he also started to yawn..
and few times ..very few times..move his elbow, feet finger, shoulder and head a little.
When something is put in his mouth he try to chew it

Almost after a month he started breathing on his own... initially was put on a ventilator

doctors says from now it all depends on patient's will power to secure complete recovery..

He was initially having food through NG tube now doctors have inserted through stomach what they say as "peg tube".

He also have tracheostomy tube in the neck
Also mri scans have shown global or severe hypoxic brain injuury

He is only 33


.
he also produce tears in both eyes..



he cannot even control his head ...



...
Right now he is discharge from the hospital and we are caring for at home we are doing physiotherapy ourselves.

To protect him from bed sores
We are changing his position every hour on bed

[maria]

Dr. Monti, please help my son. He has severely damaged brain. You are the only one who can help him.
It responds to music and words only by shaking the lids
Please help my son. He loves people and has always helped.

[ewe]

Just came here after learning about the woman who had been in a vegetative state for 14 years that had given birth recently and I am disgusted. It learn that she might have been consious is horrifying.

Here we have a clever man trying to convince everybody that we are our brain. I believe the brain is like a control panel. Consciousness goes beyond that. I love the movie Glass, science has an explanation for everything, however, theories keep changing. Make some research on NDE, and you find out. But thanks, at least you're a seeker.

[MichaelCooke-bn]

If the patient has aphantasia, he/she can’t visualise playing tennis or going through the rooms of their house. So would they show the brain activity to which you refer?

[fastandeffective]

Martin, read Parnia's scientific publications and clinical trials on human soul, near death experiences and consciousness.

[jhkailewis]

My partner with MS fell into a vegetative state 6 days ago in Ukraine. She can open her eyes but has no awareness of time, places, faces young doctor here says her primary diagnosis is cachexia. She could be right. Does anyone know the best way to wake a cant move . Unfortunately they have no EEG, PET, or MRI in her town. How can we otherwise determine how much of her brain is still functioning.

[lilligesien]

I live in Germany and lost my consciousness but am still able to talk about everything I went through but no one wants to know. It’s no mystery at all. I have so many answers as I went through my soul leaving the body forever and now being in a vegetative state... I guess no one really wants to know. Fckng Limbo.

[slavicle]

My brothers in a vegetative state currently after a bad accident and I'm tryna figure this all out

[knockoutorion]

But why would you like to live like that? In your mind? That’s not living.

[hillarybm]

interesting talk but the end with his phone conversation was utterly pointless and stupid. anticlimactic

[IittleEvil]

Ted talks, I don't really believe in your channel anymore. I consider your videos as just mare story's, your channel lost its credibility.