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Persistent Vegetative State (March 25, 2005, One)

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Program Summary

Terri Schiavo was alive, but was she living? If she could express herself, what would she have wanted? The struggle between her husband and her parents over her rights, to live or to die, illuminates the legal, moral, and emotional difficulties involved in deciding to discontinue live-giving treatments. It also focuses attention on the complexity of medically defining the state in which a brain-damaged human exists.

The medical doctors on the March 25 show explain the differences between the terms that we have seen used in cases such as these (coma, persistent vegetative state, minimally conscious, awareness, wakefulness) and the types of brain damage that result in the conditions. They also discuss the physical and technological tests used to diagnose each one.

Guests

James Bernat, professor of neurology at Dartmouth Medical School in Hanover, New Hampshire

Timothy E. Quill, professor of medicine, psychiatry and medical humanities and director of the Center for Palliative Care and Clinical Ethics at the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, NY

Related Links and Resources

CNN.com, March 23, 2005: Cohen: Mental states are clearly defined
British Medical Journal, February 11, 1995: The persistent vegetative state
New England Journal of Medicine, May 26, 2994: Medical Aspects of the Persistent Vegetative State- First of Two Parts
New England Journal of Medicine, June 2, 1994: Medical Aspects of the Persistent Vegetative State- Second of Two Parts
San Francisco Chronicle, March 23, 2005: Doctors explain the 'persistent vegetative state'

For Discussion:

• What part of Terri Schiavo’s brain was injured? What functions does it control? What does the brain stem control?
• What is the difference between minimally conscious and persistent vegetative state? What is coma? What methods do doctors use to differentiate between the three?
• What is awareness? What is wakefulness? How can a brain-damaged person be awake, but not aware?
• What is an EEG? What is MRI? What can they tell doctors about brain activity?
• Hopefully, you won’t experience a situation like Terri Schiavo’s. If you do, however, what would you want for yourself? What you want for a loved one?

Activities

Gray matter matters. The most comprehensive Web site for studying the brain is Neuroscience for Kids, which takes you on a detailed tour of our amazing organ with the help of illustrations, animations, activities, and quizzes. Every brain-related topic you can think of is covered, and links to other useful sites are plentiful. You can read the latest neuroscience news, sign up to receive an e-newsletter, and send questions to a neurologist. Excellent lesson plans for Brain Awareness Week (or any time of year) are available.

Hurt feelings. While you are waiting...About Brain Injury is a straightforward site that lays out the parts of the brain, their functions, and what happens when they are injured. Also included are a section on understanding coma and the levels of coma, a guide to intensive care unit equipment, the objectives of neurosurgery, and an extensive glossary. Invite a neurologist to speak to the class about brain injury or arrange a trip to a hospital to view imaging equipment. Brainstormer, a lesson plan from Discovery School, examines brain injury and has students write essays and create 2-D or 3-D models of the brain. They also discuss the roots of mental illness in the brain.

Brainiac. Brainarium Hall introduces younger students to the anatomy and functions of the brain. Break it down at Brainarium Specimens, then try the 3-D puzzle.

Seeing is believing. Scientific Visualization, from the UCLA Library of Neuro Imaging, provides an amazing selection of images and animations of the brain, parts, and disorders to help students visualize what they are studying.

For further study about the brain, visit Science Friday Kids’ Connection Psychology/Brain menu.

Use the search box below to perform a Google search within any of the specifc sites or general domains mentioned in this Activities section.

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