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Neuropathological Findings in the Brain of Karen Ann Quinlan NEJM 330:1469-1475, Kinney,H.C.,et al, 1994 See this aricle in Pubmed Article Abstract Contrary to expectation,the most severe damage was not in the cerebral cortex but in the thalamus,and the brain stem was relatively intact.The neuropathological findings included extensive bilateral thalamic scarring, bilateral cortical scars primarily in the occipital pole and parasagittal parieto-occipital region,and bilateral damage to cerebellar and focal- basal-ganglia regions.The brain stem and basal forebrain and the hypothalamic components of the ascending arousal systems and brainstem regions critical to cardiac and respiratory control were undamaged.The lesions were consistent with hypoxia-ischemia after the cardiopulmonary arrest.Although the neuropathological findings in the case of Karen Ann Quinlan were complex,the disproportionately severe damage in the thalamus as compared with the cerebral cortexs supports the hypothesis that the thalamus is critical for cognition and awareness and may be less essential for arousal.

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(click to filter results - removes previous filter) arousal awareness cognition hypoxia hypoxic encephalopathy neuropathology neuropathology,brain persistent vegetative state thalamus,lesion of thalamus,lesion of-bilateral

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