ABSTRACT
Locked-In Syndrome (LIS) is a rare consequence of brain damage. Patients are fully conscious but unable to move or speak due to paralysis of nearly all voluntary muscles except the eyes. According to Bauer et al., LIS can be subdivided into three types depending on the extent of motor impairment. Classical LIS is characterised by total immobility except for vertical eye movements or blinking; partial LIS is where some minimal motor activity may be seen, and total LIS is where all mobility is lost, including eye movements, and where consciousness is preserved. LIS is caused by damage to the pons, a part of the brainstem that contains nerve fibres that relay information to other areas of the brain. Although prognosis is generally poor and death can occur through pneumonia or thrombosis, with the right care people with LIS can live for many years, and a few make a good or even a complete recovery.
