Ariel Sharon Shows Significant Brain Activity; Comatose Patients Can Respond

There's more evidence that long-term coma patients may be more aware of the world around them than we think. A team of American and Israeli scientists have found that Ariel Sharon, the former Israel prime minister who has been in a coma for seven years, has shown significant signs of brain activity.

Although 84-year-old Sharon has been in a vegetative state since he suffered a massive stroke in 2006, doctors found that his brain activity increased when he was shown pictures of his family and played a recording of his son's voice.

Sharon was a divisive figure in Israeli politics, according to CNN. A former army officer, he masterminded Israel's invasion of Lebanon in 1982 as defense minister. He supported the expansion of Jewish settlements, and also initiated the construction of the separation barrier along the border and inside the West Bank. However, in 2005 orchestrated a military and civilian withdrawal of settlers from Gaza.

Although some people in vegetative states cannot respond in a way that people can see, they can respond on a metabolic level. However, these particular signs in Sharon were hard to interpret, and while encouraging, were not strong.

The tests used on Sharon were developed by Martin Monti, a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, and his colleagues. They use functional magnetic resonance imaging scans in order to measure brain responses to stimuli. While results showed that he did indeed have some reaction, the evidence was not enough to conclude that Sharon would ever fully regain consciousness.

Nevertheless, if doctors can prove that Sharon can actually hear and understand what is being said to him, it would be a major event in Israel.