Katerina Datsko - Neurology

 


Locked-in Syndrome: A Rare Neurological Disorder


Adequate communication is often hard to achieve for all of humanity. It can be difficult to find the right words to describe the exact way you feel at a specific moment, or it can be hard to gain someone’s attention when your voice cannot compete with a loud crowd. However, imagine not having your voice nor your body to allow you to communicate with those surrounding you, leaving you completely locked inside of your own mind? This is how life with locked-in syndrome can feel like. 


Locked-in syndrome is a rare neurological condition in which patients exhibit consciousness while being unable to produce any movement or verbal communication due to paralysis of voluntary muscles. Classically, locked-in syndrome deals with quadriplegic patients, or patients who are unable to function all four limbs nor the torso. 


The disorder is extremely rare, with there being fewer than 1,000 people in the United States being officially diagnosed with locked-in syndrome today. Still, this number can be hard to estimate as locked-in syndrome is commonly misdiagnosed due to its similarity to other conditions like a coma or a vegetative state.  


Locked-in syndrome occurs when the brain stem is damaged, more specifically the pons area of the brain stem. This brain damage typically occurs from strokes or traumatic brain injuries. 


Cognitive impairments in the locked-in syndrome: A case report - ScienceDirect


Though the medical field has made significant progress regarding understanding locked-in syndrome, the disorder remains largely under researched due to factors like rarity and difficulty in diagnosis. 



About the Author:



Hi!! My name is Katerina Datsko and I am currently a rising high school Senior from the United States! I enjoy doing medical research and am always looking to learn something new!


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