Non-Invasive Methods for Studying Consciousness

Researchers have found a way to assess consciousness without external stimulation, using a little-used approach where volunteers squeeze a force sensor with their hand when they breathe in and release it when they breathe out, resulting in more precise and sensitive measurements that may help improve treatment for insomnia and coma reversal. The method removes the significant confound of the conventional external stimulus that is typically used, and it may be more sensitive to state changes than stimulus-based tasks.