Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 22, 2026

SECONDs Administration Guidelines: A Fast Tool to Assess Consciousness in Brain-injured Patients
Published on: February 6, 2021
The vegetative state--a syndrome in search of a name
K von Wild1, S T Laureys, F Gerstenbrand
1Medical Faculty University Muenster, Cerebprotect Foerderverein für Frührehabilitation eV, 48155 Muenster, Germany. kvw@neurosci.de
Abstract:
In 2002, Bryan Jennett chose the caption "A syndrome in search of a name" for the first chapter of his book "The vegetative state--medical facts, ethical and legal dilemmas", which, in summary, can be taken as his legacy. Jennett coined the term "VegetativeState" (VS), which became the preferential name for the syndrome of wakeful unresponsiveness in the English literature, with the intention to specify the concern and dilemmas in connection with the naming "vegetative", "persistent" and "permanent". In Europe, Apallic Syndrome (AS) is still in use. The prevalence of VS/AS in hospital settings in Europe is 0.5-2/100.000 population year; one-third traumatic brain damage, 70% following intracranial haemorrhages, tumours, cerebral hypoxemia after cardiac arrest, and end stage of certain progressive neurological diseases. VS/AS reflects brain pathology of (a) consciousness, self-awareness, (b) behaviour, and (c) certain brain structures, so that patients are awake but total unresponsive. The ambiguity of the naming "vegetative" (meant to refer to the preserved vegetative (autonomous nervous system) can suggest that the patient is no more a human but "vegetable" like. And "apallic" does not mean being definitively and completely anatomically disconnected from neocortical structures. In 2009, having joined the International Task Force on the Vegetative State, we proposed the new term "Unresponsive Wakefulness Syndrome" (UWS) to enable (neuro-)scientists, the medical community, and the public to assess and define all stages accurately in a human way. The Unresponsive Wakefulness Syndrome (UWS) could replace the VS/AS nomenclature in science and public with social competence.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Dementia l: Introduction
Subconsciousness and No Awareness
An illustrative example of subconscious processing is its role in problem-solving. Often, individuals...
Viral Meningitis
Altered States of Awareness
The ingestion of substances like stimulants or hallucinogens leads to chemical alterations in the brain that...
Restless Leg Syndrome and Night Terrors
The exact cause of RLS is not fully understood, but it is believed to involve dopamine, a neurotransmitter that helps regulate muscle movement. Imbalances in dopamine levels...
Metabolic States of the Body: The Absorptive State

