Sunday, June 02, 2024

Innovative bird-eye-inspired camera developed for enhanced object detection

A new type of perovskite-based camera specializing in object detection is developed by mimicking bird's eye

INSTITUTE FOR BASIC SCIENCE

IMAGE:
STRUCTURES AND FUNCTIONS OF BIRD’S EYE. (A) BIRD VISION. (B) DEEP CENTRAL FOVEA AND FOUR TYPES OF CONES. (C) FOVEATED VISION AND TETRACHROMATIC VISION.
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CREDIT: INSTITUTE FOR BASIC SCIENCE

The eyes of raptors such as eagles can accurately perceive prey from kilometers away. Is it possible to model the camera technology after the bird’s eyes?

Researchers developed a new type of camera, which was inspired by the structures and functions of bird's eyes. A research team led by Prof. KIM Dae-Hyeong at the Center for Nanoparticle Research within the Institute for Basic Science (IBS), in collaboration with Prof. SONG Young Min at the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), has developed perovskite-based camera specializing in object detection.

The eyes of different organisms in the natural world have evolved and been optimized to suit their habitat and the environment in which they survive. As a result of countless years of evolutionary adaptation to the environment of living and flying at high altitudes, bird eyes also have unique structures and visual functions (Figure 1a).

In the retina of an animal's eye, there is a small pit called the fovea that refracts the light entering the eye. Unlike the shallow foveae found in human eyes, bird eyes have deep central foveae, which refract the incoming light to a large extent. The region of the highest cone density lies within the foveae (Figure 1b), allowing the birds to clearly perceive distant objects through magnification (Figure 1c). This specialized vision is known as foveated vision.

While human eyes can only see visible light, bird eyes have four cones that respond to ultraviolet (UV) as well as visible (red, green, blue; RGB) light. This tetrachromatic vision enables birds to acquire abundant visual information and effectively detect target objects in a dynamic environment (Figure 1c).

Inspired by these capabilities, the IBS research team designed a new type of camera that specializes in object detection, incorporating artificial fovea and a multispectral image sensor that responds to both UV and RGB (Figure 2a). First, the researchers fabricated the artificial fovea by mimicking the deep central foveae in the bird's eyes (Figure 2b) and optimized the design through the optical simulation. This allows for the camera to magnify distant target objects without image distortion.

The team then used perovskite, a material known for its excellent electrical and optical properties, to fabricate the multispectral image sensor. Four types of photodetectors were fabricated using different perovskite materials that absorb different wavelengths. The multispectral image sensor was finally fabricated by vertically stacking the four photodetectors (Figures 2c and 2d).

The first co-author Dr. PARK Jinhong states, “We also developed a new transfer process to vertically stack the photodetectors. By using the perovskite patterning method developed in our previous research, we were able to fabricate the multispectral image sensor that can detect UV and RGB without additional color filters.”

Conventional cameras that use a zoom lens to magnify objects have the disadvantage of focusing only on the target object and not its surroundings. On the other hand, the bird-eye-inspired camera provides both a magnified view of the foveal region along with the surrounding view of the peripheral region (Figures 3a and 3b). By comparing the two fields of vision, the bird-eye-inspired camera can achieve greater motion detection capabilities than the conventional camera (Figure 3c and 3d). In addition, the camera is more cost-effective and lightweight as it can distinguish UV and RGB light without additional color filters.

The research team verified the object recognition and motion detection capabilities of the developed camera through simulations. In terms of object recognition, the new camera demonstrated a confidence score of 0.76, which is about twice as high as the existing camera system's confidence score of 0.39. The motion detection rate also increased by 3.6 times compared to the existing camera system, indicating significantly enhanced sensitivity to motion.

"Birds’ eyes have evolved to quickly and accurately detect distant objects while in flight. Our camera can be used in areas that need to detect objects clearly, such as robots and autonomous vehicles. In particular, the camera has great potential for application to drones operating in environments similar to those in which birds live,” remarked Prof. Kim.

This innovative camera technology represents a significant advancement in object detection, offering numerous potential applications across various industries.

Bird-eye-inspired camera. (a) Schematic view of bird-eye-inspired camera. (b) Artificial fovea. (c) Schematic of a multispectral image sensor. (d) Multispectral image sensor.

Performance of the bird-eye-inspired camera. (a) Setup for measurement. (b) Bird-eye-inspired camera perceives both the distant object (star) through magnification in the foveal region and nearby objects (triangle, square, circle) in the peripheral region. (c, d) The multispectral image sensor can distinguish UV and RGB light without color filters and capture colored images.

CREDIT

Institute for Basic Science

JOURNAL

Science Robotics

DOI

10.1126/scirobotics.adk6903

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Avian-eye-inspired perovskite artificial vision system for foveated and multispectral imaging

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

29-May-2024

Local bright spot among melting glaciers: 2000 km of Antarctic ice-covered coastline has been stable for 85 years

first woman to set foot in Antarctica

Ingrid Christensen, wife of Lars Christensen, took part in several expeditions to Antarctica and is considered the first woman to set foot in Antarctica. Here she is seen in the Stinson airplane in 1937 ready to throw a Norwegian flag over the land area in East Antarctica. Copyright Norwegian Polar Institute

CREDIT

A whaler's forgotten aerial photos from 1937 have given researchers at the University of Copenhagen the most detailed picture of the ice evolution in East Antarctica to date

UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN - FACULTY OF SCIENCE

Overview map — IMAGE:
OVERVIEW MAP OF THE EXPEDITION ROUTE IN 1936/1937 AND THE AREAS INVESTIGATED BY THE RESEARCHERS.
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CREDIT: MADS DØMGAARD

A whaler's forgotten aerial photos from 1937 have given researchers at the University of Copenhagen the most detailed picture of the ice evolution in East Antarctica to date. The results show that the ice has remained stable and even grown slightly over almost a century, though scientists observe early signs of weakening. The research offers new insights that enhance predictions of ice changes and sea level rise.

Higher temperatures, extreme weather, melting glaciers, and rising sea levels - all indicators that the climate and the world's ice masses are in a critical state. However, a new study from the Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management at the University of Copenhagen offers a local bright spot.

Using hundreds of old aerial photographs dating back to 1937, combined with modern computer technology, the researchers have tracked the evolution of glaciers in East Antarctica. The area covers approximately 2000 kilometers of coastline and contains as much ice as the entire Greenland Ice Sheet.

By comparing the historical aerial photos with modern satellite data, the researchers have been able to determine whether the glaciers have retreated or advanced and whether they have thickened or thinned. The study reveals that the ice has not only remained stable but grown slightly over the last 85 years, partly due to increasing snowfall.

“We constantly hear about climate change and new melt records, so it's refreshing to observe an area of glaciers that has remained stable for almost a century,” says PhD student Mads Dømgaard, the study’s first author.

However, the researcher emphasizes that the study also shows the first signs of changes in the sea ice off the glacier. This could mean that the stable East Antarctic glaciers might shrink in the future.

“Our results also indicate weakening sea ice conditions, making the glaciers’ floating ice tongues more vulnerable and unable to grow as large as seen in the early aerial images from 1937. We know from other parts of Antarctica that the ocean plays an extremely important role and drives the massive and increasing melt we see in e.g. West Antarctica,” says Mads Dømgaard.

Hidden from the Nazis

Most of the images used in the study were captured during a 1937 expedition organized and paid for by Norwegian whaler Lars Christensen. The mission aimed to produce the first maps of this part of East Antarctica, but the maps were never published due to the German invasion of Norway. Since then, the images have been stored at the Norwegian Polar Institute in Tromsø and forgotten.

When the researchers from the University of Copenhagen read about the expedition, they realized that valuable images were likely hidden in an archive in Norway. They traveled to Tromsø and reviewed all 2200 images taken during the expedition. They supplemented the Norwegian aerial images with images of the same glaciers from Australian surveys conducted between 1950 and 1974.

“By comparing the historical aerial photos with modern satellite data, we have gained critical knowledge about glaciers that we would not otherwise have had. I think it's fantastic that these old images can be used to generated new research results almost 100 years after they were taken,” says Assistant Professor Anders Bjørk from the University of Copenhagen, who leads the group working with the historical images.

Potential for major sea level rise

The Antarctic Ice Sheet is receiving increasing attention from researchers, due to its potential for extremely large and rapid sea level rise. Unlike Greenland, very little was known about Antarctica glaciers until the 1990s, when the first good satellite observations became available.

“Early observations of glaciers are extremely valuable as they give us a unique insight into how the ice has evolved through a varying climate and whether current changes in the ice exceed the glaciers' normal cycle of advance and retreat,” explains Mads Dømgaard.

According to the researcher, solid, long-term data is crucial for producing accurate predictions of future glacier evolutions and sea level rise, and this study provides new insights into a vast area in East Antarctica.

“The long time series of glaciers improves our ability to make more accurate models of future ice changes, as the models are trained on historical observations,” concludes Anders Bjørk.

The results have just been published in Nature Communications and are a collaboration between researchers from the University of Copenhagen, the Norwegian Polar Institute, the Arctic University of Norway and the Institute of Environmental Geosciences in France.

Honnörbrygga Glacier in Lützow-Holm Bay in 1937 compared to a modern Landsat satellite image from 2023

Honnörbrygga Glacier in Lützow-Holm Bay in 1937 compared to a modern Landsat satellite image from 2023. The 9km long floating ice tongue seen in the 1937 image disappeared in the late 1950s and has not grown back due to weakening sea ice.

CREDIT

Mads Dømgaard / Norwegian Polar Institute

A Stinson Reliant poton aircraft

The whaling ship Firern, with the Stinson Reliant aircraft on board, near Klarius Mikkelsen Fjell in Lars Christensen Land in East Antarctica. Copyright Norwegian Polar Institute

CREDIT

More about the study

- Out of 2200 images photographed from seaplanes in 1937, 130 were selected for the analysis.

- The researchers combined the historical photos with modern satellite data to create 3D reconstructions of the glaciers.

- The Norwegian aerial images were supplemented with 165 aerial images of the same glaciers from Australian surveys conducted between 1950 and 1974. This allowed the researchers to examine the evolution of the glaciers over different periods and calculate historical ice flow speeds for selected glaciers.

- Compared to modern data, the ice flow speeds are unchanged. While some glaciers have thinned over shorter intermediate periods of 10-20 years, they have remained stable or grown slightly in the long term, indicating a system in balance.

Authors behind the study:

- The research is funded by the Villum Foundation.

JOURNAL

Nature Communications

DOI

10.1038/s41467-024-48886-x

ARTICLE TITLE

Early aerial expedition photos reveal 85 years of glacier growth and stability in East Antarctica

High groundwater depletion risk in South Korea in 2080s

POHANG UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY (POSTECH)

Occurrence years of deep level groundwater depletion (unprecedented groundwater level) on the Korean Peninsula — IMAGE:
OCCURRENCE YEARS OF DEEP LEVEL GROUNDWATER DEPLETION (UNPRECEDENTED GROUNDWATER LEVEL) ON THE KOREAN PENINSULA
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CREDIT: POSTECH

Groundwater is literally the water found beneath the Earth's surface. It forms when precipitation such as rain and snow seeps into the soil, replenishing rivers and lakes. This resource supplies our drinking water. However, a recent study has alarmed the scientific community by predicting that approximately three million people in currently untapped areas of Korea could face groundwater depletion by 2080.

A research team, led by Professor Jonghun Kam from Division of Environmental Science and Engineering and Dr. Chang-Kyun Park from the Institute of Environmental and Energy Technology (currently working for LG Energy Solution) at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), used an advanced statistical method, to analyze surface and deep groundwater level data from 2009 to 2020, revealing critical spatiotemporal patterns in groundwater levels. Their findings were published in the international journal “Science of the Total Environment.”

Groundwater is crucial for ecosystems and socioeconomic development, particularly in mountainous regions where water systems are limited. However, recent social and economic activities along with urban development have led to significant groundwater overuse. Additionally, rising land temperatures are altering regional water flows and supplies, necessitating water policies that consider both natural and human impacts to effectively address climate change.

In a recent study, researchers used an advanced statistical method called “cyclostationary empirical orthogonal function analysis (CSEOF)” to analyze water level data from nearly 200 surface and deep groundwater stations in the southern Korean Peninsula from 2009 to 2020. This analysis helped them identify important spatiotemporal patterns in groundwater levels.

The first and second principal components revealed that water level patterns mirrored recurring seasonal changes and droughts. While shallow-level groundwater is more sensitive to the seasonality of precipitation than the drought occurrence, deep-level groundwater is more sensitive to the drought occurrence than seasonality of precipitation. This indicates that both shallow-level and deep-level groundwater are crucial for meeting community water needs and mitigating drought effects.

The third principal component highlighted a decline in groundwater levels in the western Korean Peninsula since 2009. The researchers projected that if this decline in deep groundwater continues, at least three million people in untapped or newly developed areas, primarily in the southwestern part of the peninsula, could face unprecedented groundwater level as a new normal (defined as groundwater depletion) by 2080. If the research team's predictions are correct, the impact would be particularly severe in drought-prone, untapped areas where groundwater is heavily relied upon.

Professor Jonghun Kam of POSTECH stated, "By leveraging long-term, multi-layer groundwater level data on Korea and advanced statistical techniques, we successfully analyzed the changing patterns of deep- and shallow-level groundwater levels and predicted the risk of groundwater depletion.” He added, “An integrated national development plan is essential, one that considers not only regional development plans but also balanced water resource management plans."

The research was sponsored by the Joint Research and Technology Development Project for Disaster Safety of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Basic Research Program of the National Research Foundation of Korea.

JOURNAL

Science of The Total Environment

DOI

10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172221

ARTICLE TITLE

Spatiotemporal patterns of groundwater over South Korea

Indian Ocean surface temperature could help anticipate dengue outbreaks

INSTITUT PASTEUR

Although dengue outbreaks cannot be prevented, it is possible to anticipate them. An international research team including scientists from the Institut Pasteur and Beijing Normal University in China has recently identified a global climate indicator that may help improve predictions about the magnitude of dengue outbreaks several months in advance. This indicator, which can be used for any world region, is based on temperature fluctuations at the surface of the Indian Ocean. Obtaining reliable long-term predictions could facilitate efforts to tackle this infection, which has been on the rise for several decades and threatens half of the world's population. The research results were published in the journal Science on May 10, 2024.

The ability to anticipate dengue outbreaks is crucial in planning control measures against the mosquitoes that transmit the disease and mobilizing hospital staff and equipment. And this is vitally important, because although vaccines have been developed, there is no specific treatment for the symptoms of this "tropical influenza," and the severity of outbreaks can vary hugely from one year to the next. "The dynamics of dengue are complex because the virus responsible for infection exists in four different forms, or serotypes, which can change from one year to the next and one country to the next," explains Simon Cauchemez, joint last author of the study and Head of the Mathematical Modeling of Infectious Diseases Unit at the Institut Pasteur. "So the magnitude of dengue outbreaks can vary considerably from one season to the next."

We now know that the reproduction and infectivity of Aedes genus mosquitoes that transmit dengue viruses, and by extension the transmission rate and scale of outbreaks, are closely correlated with local temperature and rainfall. But these parameters can only be predicted between two weeks and three months in advance, and the quality of forecasts decreases rapidly for longer-term predictions. Global climate indicators like El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) can generally be predicted over a longer period, beyond six months. An international team therefore decided to study 30 global climate indicators to determine whether monitoring such indicators could help predict dengue outbreaks further in advance.

The team compiled two large datasets: the total number of annual dengue cases reported in 46 countries in South-East Asia and America over 30 years (1990-2019), and also the monthly number of dengue cases in 24 countries over six years (2014-2019). They found that of all the indicators under consideration, the Indian Ocean basin-wide (IOBW) index, which measures temperature fluctuations at the surface of the Indian Ocean, was the global indicator that was most closely correlated to annual dengue incidence in both the northern and southern hemispheres.

“Our results revealed that incorporating the IOBW index into our mathematical model resulted in predictions that closely matched real-world data, compared to the model excluding the IOBW index,” notes Huaiyu Tian, co-last author of the study and Director of the Center for Global Change and Public Health, Beijing Normal University. “The extended lead time and improved predictive ability underscore the significance of the IOBW index in dengue forecasting and early warning systems.”

These interesting theoretical findings will need to be validated in real conditions. "Our aim is to develop predictive models for dengue outbreaks in Guadeloupe, French Guiana and Martinique, and we will now explore whether the IOBW index can effectively improve these predictions," explains Simon Cauchemez. "Climate is not the only factor that influences dengue outbreaks. For these predictive models we will also need to take into account other factors like immunity levels in the population, strains previously in circulation, etc."

If the findings are borne out, the new indicator could help improve the prediction of dengue outbreaks, thereby also improving efforts to tackle this infectious disease, which affects 50,000 million people each year. The incidence of dengue has risen dramatically in recent years, especially in mainland France. Between January 1 and April 19, 2024, 1,679 imported dengue cases were reported to Santé publique France, compared with 131 over the same period in 2023.

JOURNAL

Science

DOI

10.1126/science.adj4427

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Computational simulation/modeling

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Indian Ocean temperature anomalies predict long-term global dengue trends

Risk of death from COVID-19 lessens, but infection still can cause issues 3 years later

Study also shows that patients hospitalized within 30 days after infection face 29% higher death risk in 3rd year compared with those not infected

WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS

New findings on long COVID — long-term effects on health experienced by many who have had COVID-19 — present a good-news, bad-news situation, according to a study at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care system.

The bad news: COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized within the first 30 days after infection face a 29% higher risk of death in the third year compared with people who have not had the virus. However, the three-year death risk still marks a significant decline compared with such risk at the one- and two-year marks post-infection. The findings also show that even people with mild COVID-19 were still experiencing new health problems related to the infection three years later.

The good news: The increased risk of death diminishes significantly one year after a SARS-CoV-2 infection among people who were not hospitalized for the virus. This demographic accounts for most people who have had COVID-19.

The new research, published May 30 in Nature Medicine, tracked the virus’s health effects in people three years after being infected with the original strain of COVID-19 in 2020. That year, about 20 million people tested positive for the virus in the U.S. The new study assessed the risk of death and 80 adverse health conditions in people three years after being diagnosed with COVID-19.

“We aren’t sure why the virus’s effects linger for so long,” said senior author Ziyad Al-Aly, MD, a Washington University clinical epidemiologist and a global leader in long COVID research. “Possibly it has to do with viral persistence, chronic inflammation, immune dysfunction or all the above. We tend to think of infections as mostly short-term illnesses with health effects that manifest around the time of infection. Our data challenges this notion. I feel COVID-19 continues to teach us — and this is an important new lesson — that a brief, seemingly innocuous or benign encounter with the virus can still lead to health problems years later.”

Up to 10% of people infected with the virus experience long COVID, according to federal data.

Al-Aly’s prior research has documented COVID-19’s damage to nearly every human organ, contributing to diseases and conditions affecting the lungs, heart, brain, and the body’s blood, musculoskeletal and gastrointestinal (GI) systems.

Such studies with longer follow-up are limited, said Al-Aly, a nephrologist who treats patients at the Washington University-affiliated John J. Cochran Veterans Hospital in midtown St. Louis. “Addressing this knowledge gap is critical to enhance our understanding of long COVID and will help inform care for people suffering from long COVID.”

Al-Aly and his team analyzed millions of de-identified medical records in a database maintained by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the nation’s largest integrated health-care system. The study included more than 114,000 veterans with mild COVID-19 who did not require hospitalization; more than 20,000 hospitalized COVID-19 patients; and 5.2 million veterans with no COVID-19 diagnosis. Patients were enrolled in the study from March 1, 2020, to Dec. 31, 2020, and followed for at least three years, until Dec. 31, 2023. Patients included people of diverse ages, races and sexes; statistical modeling ensured parity in representation.

In the third year after infection, COVID-19 patients who had been hospitalized experienced a 34% elevated health risk across all organ systems compared with people who did not have COVID. That number is down from a 182% increased risk one year after a COVID infection and a 57% risk two years after.

Among nonhospitalized patients, researchers found a 5% increased risk in suffering from long COVID in the third year after infection. This translates into 41 more health problems per 1,000 persons – a small but not trivial burden. The long-term health effects in the third year primarily affected the GI, pulmonary and neurological systems. By comparison, the risk was increased by 23% one year after infection and increased by 16% two years after.

In the analysis, researchers also measured and compared the number of healthy life-years lost due to COVID-19. They found that among the nonhospitalized, at three years after infection, COVID-19 had contributed to 10 lost years of healthy life per 1,000 persons. By comparison, three years post-infection, those hospitalized for COVID-19 had experienced 90 lost years of healthy life per 1,000 persons.

For context, in the U.S., heart disease and cancer each cause about 50 lost years of healthy life per 1,000 persons, while stroke contributes to 10 lost years of healthy life per 1,000 persons.

“That a mild SARS-CoV-2 infection can lead to new health problems three years down the road is a sobering finding,” said Al-Aly, who is also director of the Clinical Epidemiology Center at the VA St. Louis Health Care System, and head of the research and development service. “The problem is even worse for people with severe SARS-CoV-2 infection. It is very concerning that the burden of disease among hospitalized individuals is astronomically higher.”

“COVID-19 is a serious threat to the long-term health and well-being of people and it should not be trivialized,” he said.

The extended trajectory for long COVID may change as researchers incorporate data from years beyond 2020. At that time, vaccines and antivirals had not been developed. Similarly, Al-Aly’s analysis does not consider subsequent variants such as omicron or delta.

“Even three years out, you might have forgotten about COVID-19, but COVID hasn’t forgotten about you,” Al-Aly said. “People might think they’re out of the woods, because they had the virus and did not experience health problems. But three years after infection, the virus could still be wreaking havoc and causing disease or illness in the gut, lungs or brain.”

JOURNAL

Nature Medicine

DOI

10.1038/s41591-024-02987-8

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Data/statistical analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Risk of death from COVID-19 lessens, but infection still can cause issues 3 years later

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

30-May-2024

A multimodal approach to better predict recovery in patients with disorders of consciousness

INSTITUT DU CERVEAU (PARIS BRAIN INSTITUTE)

Searching for signs of consciousness — IMAGE:
SEARCHING FOR SIGNS OF CONSCIOUSNESS
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CREDIT: NICOLAS DECAT.

After a severe cranial trauma or cardiac arrest, some patients admitted to intensive care show little or no reaction to their environment—and are sometimes unable to communicate. This condition is called a disorder of consciousness (DoC), which includes comas, vegetative states and states of “minimal consciousness.”

This disorder sometimes persists for several days or weeks. In such cases, healthcare teams and relatives must obtain the most accurate information on the patient's cognitive recovery capacities. Usually, a neurological prognosis is established using several indicators—including standard measurements of brain anatomy (CT and MRI scans) and function (electroencephalogram).

“Despite having these data at our disposal, there remains a degree of uncertainty about the prognosis, which can significantly impact medical decision-making. These patients are often in a fragile state and prone to numerous complications, which raises questions about the appropriateness of the care they receive,” explains Benjamin Rohaut, neurologist, researcher and lead author of the study. “Moreover, doctors sometimes observe a discrepancy between the patient's behaviour and their brain activity: some patients in a vegetative state seem to understand what is being said to them but are unable to let their caregivers know.”

To improve the description of the state of consciousness of these patients, the “PICNIC team”, co-led by Lionel Naccache at the Paris Brain Institute, has been working for around fifteen years to define new brain measurements and clinical examination signs. Their approach has gradually evolved towards “multi-modality”, combining PET scans, multivariate EEG analysis, functional MRI, cognitive evoked potentials (electrical responses to sensory stimulation) and other tools.

Consciousness markers under scrutiny

To assess the clinical value of this approach, the team worked with the “Neurologically Oriented Intensive Care Unit” at the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris. Led by Benjamin Rohaut and Charlotte Calligaris, the clinicians and researchers followed and assessed 349 intensive-care patients between 2009 and 2021. At the end of each multimodal evaluation, they formulated a “good”, “uncertain”, or “unfavourable” prognostic opinion.

Their results indicate that patients with a “good prognosis” (22% of cases) showed a much more favourable evolution of their cognitive abilities than patients with a prognosis judged “uncertain” (45.5% of cases) or “unfavourable” (32.5% of cases); none of the patients assessed as “unfavourable” regained consciousness after one year. Above all, this prognostic performance was correlated with the number of modalities: the greater the number of indicators used, the greater the accuracy of the prognosis, and the greater the team's confidence in its assessments.

“This long-term study shows for the first time the benefit of the multimodal approach, which is essential information for intensive care units worldwide. It also provides empirical validation of the recent recommendations of the European and American Neurology Academies, " explains Jacobo Sitt, who co-supervised this study.

Towards a standardised neuroprognostic approach

However, the multimodal approach is not a magic wand. It provides the best possible information to caregivers and families in situations of uncertainty—an ethical advance in patient care—but does not guarantee bias-free decision-making.

Finally, there is the question of access to assessment tools, which are expensive and require specific expertise. “We are aware that multimodal assessment is not accessible to all the intensive care units that receive these patients”, continues Lionel Naccache. “We propose to build a network of collaborations at the national and European levels. Thanks to telemedicine tools and automated EEG or brain imaging analysis, all intensive care units could have a first level of access to multimodal assessment. Should this prove insufficient, recourse to a regional expert centre would provide a more in-depth assessment. Finally, in the most complex situations, it would be possible to call on all available experts, wherever they may be. We aim to ensure that all patients with a disorder of consciousness can benefit from the highest standards of neurological prognosis.”

JOURNAL

Nature Medicine

DOI

10.1038/s41591-024-03019-1

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Multimodal assessment improves neuroprognosis performance in clinically unresponsive critical care patients with brain injury

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

30-May-2024

COI STATEMENT

Jacobo Sitt and Lionel Naccache are co-founders and shareholders of Neurometers, a company dedicated to the medical use of electroencephalogram (EEG) to quantify the brain signatures of consciousness and cognition.