(BBC) — Ariel Sharon, the former Israeli prime minister who has been in a coma for seven years, has shown significant signs of brain activity, doctors say.
A team of Israeli and American scientists say new tests showed he responded to external stimuli.
The activity increased when he was being shown pictures of his family and played a recording of his son’s voice.
The 84-year-old has been in a coma since 2006, when he suffered a massive stroke.
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Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon demonstrated impressive progress during a routine testing of his brain's functionality late last week, prompting some in the Israeli media to speculate that he might be slowly coming out of his coma.
Sharon suffered a major brain hemorrhage in 2006 and slipped into what doctors then described as a vegetative state. He has remained in stable condition ever since.
Last week's test was conducted at Soroka Hospital in Beersheva, and employed a new MRI technology developed by a team of Israeli and American doctors.
During the two-hour test, Sharon was shown pictures of his family and was made to listen to an audio recording of his eldest son's voice.
To the doctors' surprise, "significant brain activity was observed in each test in specific brain regions, indicating appropriate processing of these stimuli," according to a statement released by Soroka.
One of the lead doctors said that while Sharon's brain is clearly transferring information to the proper areas for processing, it is still uncertain if the former premier is consciously aware of these stimuli.
Whatever the case, the tests did show a very real improvement in Sharon's condition.
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