Question: I have heard that there is this thing where you are not dead but you can not do anything or you can not move. Can you guys explain what it is?
There are two instances of when a person is alive but unrepsonsive.
The first is when the person is in a vegetative state. It is where a person is still alive and awake but they are not aware of anything and don’t respond to any stimuli.
The second is when the person is in a coma. In this instance, the person is also still alive, but not awake, and again doesn’t respond to stimuli and can’t move.
Both these situations are terrible and are often caused by severe brain damage (as a result of serious head injuries).
The condition you are describing sounds most like “locked in syndrome” or “total locked in syndrome” where a person is aware and awake but is unable to move or communicate normally due to paralysis of all voluntary muscles in the body. “Locked in” people can move only their eyes, while “totally locked in” people are unable to do even that. They are not dead, they are conscious, able to think and understand what is going on around them, but they cannot move or interact with people verbally.
There are other conditions which are similar to what you describe such as a “vegetative state”, where the brain is damaged to such an extent that the body is alive but there is minimal brain activity and the person is essentially just breathing and existing but is unlikely to be aware of the world around them.
Catatonia causes a state similar to locked in syndrome, but is due to damage to the brain or deep psychological trauma rather than paralysis of the muscles, and is really more a symptom of the patient ignoring the world around them rather than being unable to interact with them.
Therefore the answer is most likely locked in syndrome which is like being a ghost trapped in your own body. Luckily computers which can pick up brain activity are now being used to help such people communicate and interact with people around them.
There is no standard cure or treatment, though doctors try and treat certain symptoms of the condition and direct stimulation of the muscles with electrodes is known to have helped some people regain some muscle function.
Hi april7, from what you described I thought of a medical condition known as tetraplegia or quadriplegia, is paralysis caused by illness or injury to a human that results in the total loss of use of all their limbs and torso. Tetraplegic or quadriplegic patient cannot move any of his body part except his/her head. Therefore they cannot do anything but head movements – they can see, hear and talk. I am thinking this is the condition what you might heard because it is much more common (1 in 60,000) than vegetative state or locked in syndrome. But how interesting that Cindy, Miranda and I all thought of different conditions.
In addition to my description, there is Oscar winner movie (2004-maek) called movie named “Mar Adentro” (The Sea Inside) which tells the true story of a quadriplegic patient. You may have a look at it and see if it is the condition what you describe.
I actually thought of a different disease to the other scientists called ALS – Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. It is a disease of the nerves controlling voluntary muscles and it eventually results in paralysis.
1/10 ALS cases is genetic, the cause is unknown for the others. ALS affects about 5/100,000 people. ALS does not affect the senses (sight, smell, taste, hearing, touch). It only rarely affects bladder or bowel function, eye movement, or a person’s ability to think or reason.
There is no known cure but some medication can slow the disease progression.
Hi april7.
There are two instances of when a person is alive but unrepsonsive.
The first is when the person is in a vegetative state. It is where a person is still alive and awake but they are not aware of anything and don’t respond to any stimuli.
The second is when the person is in a coma. In this instance, the person is also still alive, but not awake, and again doesn’t respond to stimuli and can’t move.
Both these situations are terrible and are often caused by severe brain damage (as a result of serious head injuries).
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The condition you are describing sounds most like “locked in syndrome” or “total locked in syndrome” where a person is aware and awake but is unable to move or communicate normally due to paralysis of all voluntary muscles in the body. “Locked in” people can move only their eyes, while “totally locked in” people are unable to do even that. They are not dead, they are conscious, able to think and understand what is going on around them, but they cannot move or interact with people verbally.
There are other conditions which are similar to what you describe such as a “vegetative state”, where the brain is damaged to such an extent that the body is alive but there is minimal brain activity and the person is essentially just breathing and existing but is unlikely to be aware of the world around them.
Catatonia causes a state similar to locked in syndrome, but is due to damage to the brain or deep psychological trauma rather than paralysis of the muscles, and is really more a symptom of the patient ignoring the world around them rather than being unable to interact with them.
Therefore the answer is most likely locked in syndrome which is like being a ghost trapped in your own body. Luckily computers which can pick up brain activity are now being used to help such people communicate and interact with people around them.
There is no standard cure or treatment, though doctors try and treat certain symptoms of the condition and direct stimulation of the muscles with electrodes is known to have helped some people regain some muscle function.
0
Hi april7, from what you described I thought of a medical condition known as tetraplegia or quadriplegia, is paralysis caused by illness or injury to a human that results in the total loss of use of all their limbs and torso. Tetraplegic or quadriplegic patient cannot move any of his body part except his/her head. Therefore they cannot do anything but head movements – they can see, hear and talk. I am thinking this is the condition what you might heard because it is much more common (1 in 60,000) than vegetative state or locked in syndrome. But how interesting that Cindy, Miranda and I all thought of different conditions.
In addition to my description, there is Oscar winner movie (2004-maek) called movie named “Mar Adentro” (The Sea Inside) which tells the true story of a quadriplegic patient. You may have a look at it and see if it is the condition what you describe.
0
I actually thought of a different disease to the other scientists called ALS – Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. It is a disease of the nerves controlling voluntary muscles and it eventually results in paralysis.
1/10 ALS cases is genetic, the cause is unknown for the others. ALS affects about 5/100,000 people. ALS does not affect the senses (sight, smell, taste, hearing, touch). It only rarely affects bladder or bowel function, eye movement, or a person’s ability to think or reason.
There is no known cure but some medication can slow the disease progression.
0