纬-Band oscillatory activity (纬BO) in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the centroparietal areas could have a key role in pain processing.

The modulation of 纬BO by repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of part of the ACC may express the preservation of frontoparietal output related to pain processing in patients with chronic disorders of consciousness.

We showed modulation of 纬BO after ACC-rTMS in patients in a minimally conscious state and with unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (UWS).

This may suggest partial preservation of the frontoparietal network underlying consciousness processes even in some patients with UWS (namely, functional locked-in syndrome).