Sonic stimulation may have "jump-started" a coma patient's brain, researchers say.
The 25-year-old patient regained full consciousness and the ability to communicate within days of the treatment, according to a study in the journal Brain Stimulation, United Press International reported.
The doctors used a small, experimental device to deliver a small amount of acoustic energy at a part of the brain called the thalamus. Previous research has suggested stimulating the thalamus could benefit patients with major brain injury and coma.
While the treatment appeared to work in this case, the researchers are cautious about its potential for success on a regular basis, UPI reported.
"It is possible that we were just very lucky and happened to have stimulated the patient just as he was spontaneously recovering," Dr. Martin Monti, associate professor of psychology and neurosurgery, University of California, Los Angeles, said in a news release.