What is locked-in syndrome, what are the causes of total paralysis and is there a cure for the condition?

LOCKED-IN syndrome hit the headlines in 2o17, after new research allowed sufferers to communicate by expressing opinions with their thoughts.

But what is locked-in syndrome and what causes it?

What is locked-in syndrome?

Locked-in syndrome is when a person is completely aware and conscious but they cannot communicate verbally as they are virtually completely paralysed.

The sufferers are sometimes able to communicate as they can move their eyes in vertically and they can also blink.

Total locked-in syndrome is when the sufferer is not even able to communicate with eye movements as their eyes are paralysed as well.

What are the causes of locked-in syndrome?

Locked-in syndrome is caused when there is damage to specific parts of the lower brain and brainstem but no damage to the upper brain.

This can occur in a number of circumstances including:

• When a person has been poisoned, particularly by a krait snake
• When someone suffers from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis – which is more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease and motor neurone disease
• When someone has suffered from a stroke in their brainstem
• When someone suffers Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
• When someone has a lesion in their brain stem

Is there a cure for locked-in syndrome?

There is no treatment and no cure available for the horrific syndrome.

Doctors can stimulate the muscle reflexes with electrodes which can help patients to regain some muscle function.

There is also technology available to help people communicate such as eye-tracking.

It is incredibly rare for a patient to regain any significant motor function although it has been known in remarkable cases.

ITV drama The Loch features a character with the horror condition: Kieran's brother Jordan is bedridden with locked-in syndrome and in need of constant care.

Have there been any breakthroughs in the research on locked-in syndrome?

To find a way of communicating with “locked-in” individuals, a Swiss-led international team of scientists developed a form of thought reading based on a system that measures blood oxygen levels and electrical activity in the brain.

Thinking "yes" or "no" to specific personal questions triggered changes correlating with brain activity that could be translated by a computer.

When the four patients who being tested were asked "are you happy?" over a period of several weeks, all four consistently answered "yes".

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