Scientists played annoying sounds and blew air on people in vegetative states, and found that they can "learn" to respond to stimuli. You can condition a person in a vegetative state. That's a pretty low level of learning. A fish can learn that food comes when I tap on the glass. And a flower can "learn" that I play music just before I set it on fire.
But I worry that this result will be misinterpreted by people who want to claim that a vegetative person is still conscious and aware. Evidence that you can condition behaviour in a person doesn't show they understand anything except for pain and discomfort. And "understanding" pain enough to move away from it doesn't take much. I expect I could successfully reproduce these results in worms.
If someone has a brain injury or infection that leaves them in this condition, it's tragic. But we shouldn't give families false hope about unlocking the person inside if there's nobody home.
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