Study: Baclofen Helps Patients Recover from Consciousness Disorder

Research conducted at the University of Athens in Greece has find that intrathecal baclofen (ITB) was effective in rousing patients from a minimally conscious state, which is defined as a disorder where a patient shows fluctuating signs of self-awareness and a sense of their surroundings. The drug, which eases spasticity resulting from brain injury, has been used to faciltate care but has not been used to restore brain function. Researchers suspect that the baclofen has an impact on receptors in the orexin system, which is key in maintaining wakefulness, and in the thalamic reticular nucleus, a brain structure linked to consciousness. For more information, click here to read the full article.