Coma and other disorders of consciousness
Jouvet M.
Handbook of Clinical Neurology Vol.3. P. J. Vinken and G. W. Bruyn , eds. North-Holland Publishing Company. Amsterdam,(1969)
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

Physiopathological basis of coma (introductory remarks)

Nervous structures necessary for consciousness

Periodic physiological dissolution of consciousness: sleep and coma

From experimental to clinical neurophysiology

Physiopathology of nervous lesions responsible for coma

Aetiological classification of comas and of disturbances of consciousness of organic origin

Symptomatological classification of coma

Tentative anatomoclinical classification

FIGURES

PRINT
Printable version

Figure 3 : Integrity of the lower brainstem is not essential for consciousness

(1) Dotted area: extent of cranial nerves paralyzed after intravertebral injection of 50 mg of AmobarbItal. Despite extensive involvement of the brainstem the subject is still able to respond (R) to a sensory stimulus.
See details in text.
After Rossi (1965).

(2) Diagrammatic representation of a pontine lesion (by softening) resulting in decerebration rigidity with preservation of normal perceptivity (still able to open and shut eyes wken ordered).
(Halsey andDownie 1966.)

Next page