In a major breakthrough, scientists have been able to reach into the mind of a brain-damaged man and communicate with his thoughts. Awareness was detected in three other patients previously diagnosed as being in a vegetative state. <br/><br/>The research carried out in the UK and in Belgium, involved a new brain scanning method. <br/><br/>The study in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that scans can detect signs of awareness in patients, thought to be closed off from the world. Patients in a vegetative state are awake, not in a coma, but have no awareness because of severe brain damage.