Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Researchers at the University of Texas at San Antonio found that children whose brains are injured from near-drownings maintain certain cognitive capabilities.
The study analyzed 11 children with quadriplegia from near-drowning-induced brain injury using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI scans.
All of the children were comatose immediately following their near-drowning-induced brain injury and gradually regained consciousness, with varying ability to communicate cognitive state.
The goal of the study, published July 31 in Human Brain Mapping, was to overcome the extremely challenging task of assessing brain function after anoxic brain injury.
Researchers found that children who developed anoxic brain injury due to near-drowning experience severe motor deficits, but maintain relatively intact perceptual and cognitive capabilities.
The study showed children with anoxic brain injury from near-drowning suffer from a selective deefferentation syndrome, in which motor deficits largely underlie their inability to convey intact cognition and perception.
