What part of the brain is damaged in vegetative state?

A vegetative state occurs when the cerebrum (the largest part of the brain) is severely damaged (making mental function impossible), but the reticular activating system is still functional (making wakefulness possible). The reticular activating system controls whether a person is awake (wakefulness).

Does vegetable mean brain dead?

What’s the Legal Meaning of Brain Death? Unlike persistent vegetative state, brain death is the irreversible loss of all functions of the brain, including the brainstem (which controls breathing and other vital functions).

Can vegetative state be cured?

Is there a treatment? There’s no real treatment. Rather, the focus is supportive care so the brain can heal. The person will be carefully monitored for changes or signs of improvement.

Is the concept of death, brain death and persistent vegetative state real?

Death, Brain Death, and Persistent Vegetative State The Concept of Brain Death and its Appeal. For most of human history, there was no perceived problem in determining whether a person was alive or dead. If the person had stopped breathing and had no heartbeat, he was considered dead.

What happens to the brain in a vegetative state?

Your brain stem still functions, and you move through a sleep-wake cycle. But you’re unaware of and can’t interact with your surroundings. This neurological state typically follows a coma. Treatment mainly involves supportive care. Recovery largely depends on the extent of injury to the brain. Each case is unique.

Can a person survive in a persistent vegetative state?

A patient considered “highly unlikely” to live beyond a vegetative state, after having gone through rigorous testing, may be diagnosed as being in a persistent vegetative state. It’s not impossible for PVS patients to recover higher brain functions, just extremely rare and largely dependent on the cause and nature of the brain injury.

What is the difference between coma and vegetative state?

But since their brain stem is still functioning, the person may: This unaware and unresponsive state differs from these similar conditions: Minimally conscious state. The person alternates between awareness and lack of awareness. Coma. The person is not awake or aware. Brain death. Damage to the brain and brain stem are categorically irreversible.