Although the management of patients with severe brain injury remains a formidable task, the field is undergoing rapid advancements. Twenty years ago, the central emphasis was on delineating and understanding the processes involved in consciousness. Clinicians primarily partnered with neuroscientists, assisting in recruitment to augment theoretical knowledge, even if its direct applicability to practice was minimal. Presently, the constantly growing pool of knowledge regarding DoCs has resulted in significant advancements in assessment and treatment. The ongoing promulgation of evidence-based medicine publications and general interest in persons with DoC has significantly altered the perception of the key role of neurorehabilitation for these patients. In this talk, I will give an overview of the key findings and milestones that have been helping this field to be more than ever in flux.

Bio: 

Dr. Caroline Schnakers has been working as a clinical scientist in the neurorehabilitation field for the past 20 years. Her work focuses on research on brain-injured patients with Disorders of Consciousness (DOC) and, more particularly, on the assessment of their brain activity and cognitive functions using behavioral, electrophysiological and neuroimaging techniques. She has published more than 160 articles (H-index: 62) in international peer reviewed journals such as Neurology, Annals of Neurology, and Lancet. Dr Schnakers is currently the Associate Director of the Research Institute as well as the Program Director of C3DoC at Casa Colina Hospital and Centers for Healthcare (Pomona, CA). She also has a faculty appointment as Adjunct Research Assistant Professor of Neurological Surgery at the Keck School of Medicine (University of South California - USC). Finally, she serves as the Chair of the Special Interest Group on Disorders of Consciousness for the International Brain Injury Association (IBIA DoC SIG).