A 35-year-old Frenchman who had been in a vegetative state since he was 20 showed signs of consciousness after a treatment that researchers say upends the idea that there is no chance of a patient recovering after being in a persistent vegetative state for more than a year. Researchers say the patient, who suffered severe brain injuries in a car accident, began tracking objects with his eyes, turning his head toward people speaking to him, and even responding to simple requests after a vagus nerve stimulator was implanted in his chest, the Guardian reports.