After 15 years in a vegetative state, nerve stimulation restores consciousness

A 35-year-old man who had been in a vegetative state for 15 years after a car accident has shown signs of consciousness after neurosurgeons implanted a vagus nerve stimulator into his chest. The findings show that vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) -- a treatment already in use for epilepsy and depression--can help to restore consciousness even after many years in a vegetative state.