Fig. 1: Clinical outcomes and DBS electrode localizations in improved and non-improved patient groups.

A Raincloud plots¹⁰⁶ showing DoC severity before and 12 months after DBS, measured using the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R), where higher scores indicate better function. Patients were categorized as improved (n = 11; pink) or non-improved (n = 29; blue). Box plots show the median (thick line), interquartile range (IQR; 25th–75th percentile), and whiskers extending to 1.5× IQR. Individual patient scores are shown as jittered dots connected by lines; adjacent density plots show score distributions. Longitudinal scores at additional timepoints (1, 3, 6, and 12 months post-DBS) are shown in Supplementary Fig. 2. B Three-dimensional reconstructions of DBS electrodes. All leads were implanted unilaterally. Electrode positions are shown relative to the centromedian (CM) and parafascicular (Pf) nuclei, defined by the atlas of Krauth et al.⁹³ based on the histological work of Morel¹⁰⁷. Supplementary Fig. 3 shows additional views of entry trajectories via the frontal lobe. Reconstructions were performed for patients with successful nonlinear image registrations to MNI space (n = 10 improved, n = 18 non-improved). C Coronal slices showing the centre of each patient’s volume of tissue activated (i.e., the modelled electric field around stimulated contacts) overlaid on the BigBrain atlas¹⁰⁴ registered to MNI space¹⁰⁵. Circles indicate locations from improved (pink; n = 10) and non-improved (blue; n = 18) patients. Y-coordinates reflect coronal slice position (mm) in MNI 152 ICBM 2009b nonlinear asymmetric template space. Individual patient coordinates are listed in Supplementary Data 1. Source data are provided as a Source Data file. Abbreviations: A, Anterior, CL, Central lateral nucleus, CM, Centromedian nucleus, CRS-R, Coma Recovery Scale—Revised, I, Inferior, L, Left, Lat., Lateral, LD, Lateral dorsal nucleus, Md, Mediodorsal nucleus, Pf, Parafascicular nucleus, R, Right, RN, Red nucleus, S, Superior, sPf, Subparafascicular nucleus, STh, Subthalamic nucleus.