The Wonder of Consciousness: Locked-In Syndrome

It is bizarre was one can become instantly involved in when in a Veterinary clinic waiting room; I picked up a copy of the New Scientist magazine and was drawn to an article on the devastating condition known as Locked-In Syndrome titled, Still Waters Run Deep.

Sufferers of Locked-In Syndrome have complete consciousness and can think and reason but they can’t speak of move. Essentially they’re ‘locked-in’ and are only able to communicate via blinking eye movements.[1]

The author of the article had recently written a book called The Quick, and based the book on the Syndrome.

What surprised me about the article was the claim it made that “90 per cent of locked-in people said they were glad to be alive.”[2] It was thought that sufferers of the Syndrome, given time, adapted to their new states of disability even though they were “unable to communicate [their] sensations to the world.”[3] Scientifically, the amygdala[4] in the brain (a part of the brain responsible for emotions--part of the limbic system) plays a role in recent ‘lock-ins’ as there’s a level of hyperactivity suggesting emotional trauma and adjustment; the evidence is apparently equally clear that the amygdala returns to normal in due time, suggesting a rather full emotional adjustment takes place--the adaptive response.

This suggests that our human nature dictates we’re “immensely adaptable” creatures, and “we can come to terms with situations others would consider intolerable.”[5] This is a great corrective to the plaudits of euthanasia; at least as far as trauma which isn’t chronically pain-related is concerned.

A personal note of reflection on Locked-In Syndrome: this is perhaps the loneliest of worlds. There is perhaps no-one to share with, and certainly any bi-lateral learning is a painstaking process (but certainly not without its rewards!). It gives me much reason to thank God today that I have so many so-called ‘normal’ faculties. The common link between me and the locked-in person is consciousness; they can still feel, sense, perceive. That can be simultaneously a comfort and a burden. The wonder of consciousness is a shared attribute. If you know a locked-in person or are one this gives us cause for a common empathy, a ray of hope. Here’s to our common sensual worlds--the world of consciousness is the world of humanity.

Copyright © 2008, S. J. Wickham. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

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ENDNOTES:
[1] National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NINDS Locked-In Syndrome Information Page. Available online: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/lockedinsyndrome/lockedinsyndrome.htm
[2] Laura Spinney, “Still Waters Run Deep” in New Scientist (18 August 2007), pp. 40-41. Spinney’s book The Quick is published by Fourth Estate, 2007.
[3] Laura Spinney, Ibid, p. 40.
[4] The Amygdala “is a set of subcortical nuclei that is important for perceiving in others and having in oneself emotional or affective behaviors and feelings (e.g. fear, anger).” Source: http://www.sci.uidaho.edu/med532/amygdala.htm
[5] Laura Spinney, Ibid, p. 40.