
In rare cases, a person in a vegetative state may show some sense of response that can be detected using a brain scan, but not be able to interact with their surroundings. For example, they may open their eyes but not respond to their surroundings. Someone in a vegetative state can show signs of being awake. there's a slim chance of recovery because the brain stem's core functions may be unaffected.Someone in a vegetative state still has a functioning brain stem, which means: The difference between brain death and a vegetative state, which can happen after extensive brain damage, is that it's possible to recover from a vegetative state, but brain death is permanent. a blood clot – a blockage in a blood vessel that disturbs or blocks the flow of blood around your bodyīrain death is different from vegetative state.
a stroke – when the blood supply to the brain is blocked or interrupted. a heart attack – when the blood supply to the heart is suddenly blocked. cardiac arrest – when the heart stops beating and the brain is starved of oxygen. Causes of brain deathīrain death can happen when the blood and/or oxygen supply to the brain is stopped. The brain stem also relays information to and from the brain to the rest of the body, so it plays an important role in the brain's core functions, such as consciousness, awareness and movement.Īfter brain death, it's not possible for someone to remain conscious. The brain stem is responsible for regulating most of the body's automatic functions that are essential for life. The brain stem is the lower part of the brain that's connected to the spinal cord (part of the central nervous system in the spinal column). It can be confusing to be told someone has brain death, because their life support machine will keep their heart beating and their chest will still rise and fall with every breath from the ventilator.īut they will not ever regain consciousness or start breathing on their own again. If someone's brain dead, the damage is irreversible and, according to UK law, the person has died. They have no chance of recovery because their body is unable to survive without artificial life support. This means they will not regain consciousness or be able to breathe without support.Ī person who's brain dead is legally confirmed as dead. Superior temporal gyrus – ridge located inferior to lateral sulcus, responsible for the reception and processing of sound.Brain death (also known as brain stem death) is when a person on an artificial life support machine no longer has any brain functions. Postcentral gyrus – ridge directly posterior to central sulcus, location of primary somatosensory cortex. Precentral gyrus – ridge directly anterior to central sulcus, location of primary motor cortex. Lunate sulcus – groove located in the occipital cortex. Lateral sulcus – groove separating the frontal and parietal lobes from the temporal lobe. Central sulcus – groove separating the frontal and parietal lobes. The two cerebral hemispheres are connected by a white matter structure, called the corpus callosum. Mater) descends vertically to fill this fissure. It isĭivided into two anatomically symmetrical hemispheres by the longitudinal fissure – a major sulcus that runs in the median sagittal plane. Externally, the cerebrum has a highly convoluted appearance, consisting of sulci (grooves or depressions) and gyri (ridges or elevations).