Background

An FNRS researcher and a Doctor in Psychological Sciences, Caroline Schnakers at present works within the Coma Science Group (Cyclotron Research Centre, ULg). At the end of her initial university studies her interest focused on patients coming out of comas recovering consciousness. Her doctorate thus focused on the diagnosis of these patients and, more precisely, on the distinction between non-conscious (vegetative state) and conscious patients (in a minimally conscious state). She has shown that misdiagnosis remains frequent for vegetative patients. She thus validated the French version of the Coma Recovery Scale – Revised, a sensitive tool which allows for the detection of the slightest behavioural sign linked to consciousness. At the same time she is involved in the federal project concerning the care of patients in vegetative and minimally conscious states and has developed an educational DVD on the administration of this scale, which is now distributed to the hospitals concerned. Beyond her expertise in behaviour Dr Schnakers is also an expert in electrophysiology. She has in effect developed an electrophysiological paradigm aiming to detect voluntary cerebral activity, patients with severe cerebral lesions frequently suffering from motor problems which do not allow them to clearly manifest signs of consciousness. The development of paramedical paradigms allowing for the detection of conscious activity without the intervention of a motor component is thus required. Dr Schnakers has also developed an interest in patients with locked-in syndrome (conscious but tetraplegic patients who communicate with their entourage through eye movements). She has in fact validated a battery of neuropsychological tests allowing for an evaluation of various cognitive components such as memory, attention or executive functions in patients. Finally, she has also become interested in pain as she has recently developed a behavioural scale allowing for the evaluation of nociceptive responses in patients with severe cerebral lesions recovering from comas.