[Physiopathological and neuropathological study of a cerebral decortication syndrome]

Detailed observation of a case of laminar necrosis of almost the whole of the cerebral cortex has led to several deductions concerning the physiology of the cortex in man. It suggests that the cortex has a limited influence on sleep, interfering particularly in the electro-encephalographic translation of slow sleep and, curiously, in the organisation of sleep, paradoxical sleep is hardly affected at all. It confirms the importance of the human cortex in the acquisition of elementary skills and describes a new oculomotor pattern in a decorticate man.