How does locked in syndrome affect the nervous system

Behavioral problems. Psychiatric disorders. Psychiatric disturbances. Double vision. Respiratory impairment. Involuntary muscle stiffness, contraction, or spasm. Paralysis of all four limbs. Mouth watering. Watery mouth. Feeding problems.

Poor feeding. Frequent respiratory infections. Multiple respiratory infections. Susceptibility to respiratory infections. Hearing defect. Do you have more information about symptoms of this disease? We want to hear from you. Do you have updated information on this disease? Related Diseases Related Diseases. Conditions with similar signs and symptoms from Orphanet. Visit the Orphanet disease page for more information.

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Organizations Organizations. Organizations Supporting this Disease. Organizations Providing General Support. Do you know of an organization? Learn More Learn More. Tracheostomy, mechanical ventilation, cardiac failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, uncontrolled emotional lability, improper positioning during feeding, undernutrition or dehydration are factors that may lead the healthcare team to remain cautious regarding feeding through the mouth.

Early recognition of LiS is important for rehabilitation. It is essential that LiS patients play an active role in decision-making processes regarding their rehabilitation.

A reliable code to indicate yes and no usually constitutes the basis of communication. Initially many use eye movements and blinking to communicate. Because language skills are usually intact, many employ a system of spelling via an alphabetical code whereby the person with LiS indicates the desired letter by moving their eyes or blinking.

Early on, individuals with LiS need to be equipped with a means to indicate their needs or a desire to communicate. Should the patient regain control of a reliable movement, that could enable the activation of a switch enabling access to communication devices eg computer with synthetic voice.

Attention should also be aimed at the early rehabilitation of the small voluntary movements that remain or recover often in a finger or foot or swallowing and sound production. Rehabilitation and various supportive therapies are highly beneficial and should be started as early as possible.

Exercises to maintain range of motion, as well as breathing, eyes, head, trunk and limb control exercises are performed throughout the rehabilitation process. Stretching exercises, use of antispasmodic drugs or botulinum toxin injections help to decrease spasticity. Recovery of near-normal motor control, speaking, swallowing and walking are extremely unusual. According to the International Encyclopaedia of Rehabilitation and researchers, recovery of horizontal eye movements prior to the first four weeks is associated with a good neurological prognosis Bauer et al.

Coma is unresponsiveness from which a person cannot be aroused and in which the person's However, most can move their eyes up and down and blink. If caregivers do not notice the eye movements, people with locked-in syndrome may mistakenly be thought to be unaware of their surroundings and unable to think or communicate. People with locked-in syndrome can learn to communicate by opening and closing their eyes in response to questions.

Some people with locked-in syndrome can learn to communicate using a computer that interprets brain activity and that can be controlled by eye movements and sometimes by other means. People with a locked-in syndrome can think normally but appear unresponsive because they cannot move any part of their body except their eyes.

Because locked-in syndrome can be mistaken for stupor or coma, doctors test people who do not move and appear unresponsive by asking them to open and close their eyes. Imaging tests of the brain, such as magnetic resonance imaging MRI and computed tomography CT , are done to determine the cause, particularly to check for any treatable disorders that may be contributing to the problem.

If the diagnosis is in doubt, doctors may do other imaging tests, such as electroencephalography Electroencephalography Diagnostic procedures may be needed to confirm a diagnosis suggested by the medical history and neurologic examination. Electroencephalography EEG is a simple, painless procedure in which A radionuclide is a radioactive form of an element, which means it is an unstable atom that becomes more stable by releasing If the cause is a small stroke and people are not completely paralyzed, people may recover completely or enough to do some daily tasks, such as eating and speaking, on their own.

Early treatment involves correcting any conditions that may contribute to the syndrome. People who have difficulty breathing may need assistance with breathing, such as mechanical ventilation Mechanical Ventilation Mechanical ventilation is use of a machine to aid the movement of air into and out of the lungs.

Some people with respiratory failure need a mechanical ventilator a machine that helps air get Providing good nutrition nutritional support Overview of Nutritional Support Many undernourished see Undernutrition and critically ill people need additional nutrition nutritional support. Artificial feeding, which uses commercial nutrient mixtures rather than food People are fed through a tube inserted through the nose and into the stomach called tube feeding.

Sometimes they are fed through a tube inserted directly into the stomach or small intestine through an incision in the abdomen. Drugs may also be given through these tubes. Many problems Problems Due to Bed Rest Staying in bed for a long time without regular physical activity, as may occur in a hospital, can cause many problems.

See also Problems Due to Hospitalization. Personal tools Not logged in Talk Contributions Log in. Thank you for your comments. Thank you for reviewing this article. Your review hasn't been inserted one review per article per day allowed!