Have you ever seen an unconscious person? Did it take long to be able to wake them up? Unconsciousness is an unresponsive state that makes the person looks like he is in a deep sleep. In this state the patient is unable to communicate or respond to external stimulation such as shaking or loud sounds. This state of unconsciousness usually last for a few seconds; however, in some cases it can take a longer period of time or become permanent. An example of prolonged unconsciousness is coma. According to Jerome B. Posner (an American neurologist) coma is defined as "a pathological state related to severe and prolonged dysfunction of vigilance and consciousness (Plum and Posner, 1966)." This state is mostly caused by traumatic head injuries which result in brain hemorrhage(1). In other words coma is an extended period of unconsciousness that has sub-classified types such as locked-in syndrome and medically induced coma.
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The term describes patients who are locked inside their bodies with complete muscle impairment. Although patients with this syndrome are conscious, they suffer from quadriplegia and paralysis of all voluntary movements except eye movement(2). The most common cause of locked-in syndrome is stroke which damages the pons, a part of the brainstem that contain neuronal pathways between the cerebrum, spinal cord, and cerebellum. Moreover, there are less frequent causes that affect the pons such as hemorrhages, thrombosis, traumas, and tumors(2). Finally, treatment of locked-in syndrome depends on the main cause of the disorder. For example, thrombosis is treated with thrombolytic therapy while tumors are treated with steroids or radiation. Unlike the treatment, rehabilitation does not depend on the cause and should be started as early as
The term describes patients who are locked inside their bodies with complete muscle impairment. Although patients with this syndrome are conscious, they suffer from quadriplegia and paralysis of all voluntary movements except eye movement(2). The most common cause of locked-in syndrome is stroke which damages the pons, a part of the brainstem that contain neuronal pathways between the cerebrum, spinal cord, and cerebellum. Moreover, there are less frequent causes that affect the pons such as hemorrhages, thrombosis, traumas, and tumors(2). Finally, treatment of locked-in syndrome depends on the main cause of the disorder. For example, thrombosis is treated with thrombolytic therapy while tumors are treated with steroids or radiation. Unlike the treatment, rehabilitation does not depend on the cause and should be started as early as