Christa Pike May Have Avoided Severe Brain Damage After Botched Execution

Christa Pike's courtroom battle produced one surprisingly hopeful clue about her recovery ... she wants her iPad back, a telling clue about her brain function.

Los Angeles Magazine reporter Lauren Conlin joined Jakson on TMZ's "In The Know" Wednesday and said that detail jumped out at her ... if Pike wants to message friends, family and her attorneys, Conlin thinks that's a good sign she may not be dealing with the severe brain damage many feared.

Conlin also says Wednesday's preservation order is a big deal ... because Pike's lawyers want the actual pentobarbital from the failed execution tested.

And she thinks there's another reason they want everything locked down -- a possible civil case against Tennessee.

Conlin says Pike's team could also have a real shot at keeping her alive ... especially because her lawyers warned before the execution that her medical issues could make lethal injection especially dangerous.

One thing Conlin still can't get over ... Pike's attorneys say they didn't see her in person until Wednesday, almost a full week after the failed execution.

So, between the iPad request, the evidence fight, and Pike being awake and talking ... Conlin says Wednesday's hearing revealed a lot more than it might've seemed on the surface.