In 1999, a young man was robbed and beaten. His skull was crushed, leaving him in a near-vegetative, minimally conscious state. Using deep brain stimulation (DBS), a procedure involving the insertion of electrodes(電極)into specific areas of the brain, doctors increased his level of consciousness, and he can now chew food, drink from a cup, gesture, and talk. This is the first time DBS has been used to treat someone in a minimally conscious state, and its apparent success may change the way people with severe brain injury are treated.