Den här översättningen är inte klar ännu. Den här sidan är just nu på engelska.

Gå till den engelska sidan

Cure My Disease

Don't miss your cure!

 Log in / Sign up

Brain tech ethics: can we detect awareness in unresponsive patients?

NCT ID NCT05010265

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: Massachusetts General Hospital Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026

Summary

This study aims to create an ethical framework for using advanced brain technologies like MRI and EEG to detect consciousness in patients with disorders of consciousness. Researchers will survey and interview patients, family members, and clinicians to understand their views on sharing uncertain diagnostic data. The goal is to ensure these powerful tools are used responsibly and respectfully.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

What this could lead to
If successful, this could help create ethical guidelines for using brain scans to detect hidden awareness in patients who appear unconscious.
What could go wrong
This is an early-stage observational study with only 70 participants, so findings may not apply broadly. It focuses on opinions and ethics, not a direct treatment.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Participants

About 70 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Feb 2022

Expected to finish

Jul 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Who is studied

Disorders of consciousness (DoC)

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Patients with prior or ongoing participation as subject in a research study using neurotechnologies for diagnosis and prognosis of disorders of consciousness (DoC) at Mass General Brigham * Patients capable of understanding and answering questions in English * Patients cble to provide informed consent * Patients for whom MRI / EEG are administered for clinical detection of consciousness and/or neuroprognostication * Family member or surrogate caregiver of patients who previously participated or are currently participating in a research study using neurotechnologies for diagnosis and prognosis of DoC at Mass General Brigham. * Family Members / Surrogates capable of understanding and answering questions in English * Family Members / Surrogates able to provide informed consent * Family member or surrogate caregiver of patients for whom MRI / EEG are administered for clinical detection of consciousness and/or neuroprognostication * Research Investigators involved with research responsibilities in designing or testing neurotechnologies on patients with DoC. * Clinicians with clinical responsibilities caring for patients in behaviorally unresponsive state, defined as coma, vegetative state (VS), and low-level minimally conscious state (MCS). * Selected leaders and advisors (Community and Thought Leaders) from brain injury associations and advocacy organizations, and policy-makers involved in decision-making impacting patients with DoC. Exclusion Criteria: None

Get updates

Get notified about this study

Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Disorder of consciousness are added.

Vår säkerhetsrekommendation!

Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor

Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Consciousness Disorders

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Disorder of consciousness

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Massachusetts General Hospital

    RECRUITING

    Boston, Massachusetts, 02114, United States

More trials for these conditions

Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.