What is unresponsive wakefulness syndrome?

Unresponsive Wakefulness Syndrome (UWS), also known as apallic syndrome, is a medical condition characterized by a patient's inability to respond to external stimuli due to severe brain damage. Despite being awake with eyes open, patients with UWS do not exhibit conscious awareness or the capacity for voluntary actions. It is a state where the arousal systems of the brain are functioning, as evidenced by wakefulness, but the cognitive aspects of consciousness are severely impaired or absent. The syndrome can result from various causes, including traumatic brain injury (TBI), anoxic brain injury (lack of oxygen to the brain), or other severe neurological conditions. In the case of TBI, damage to the brain's neural networks can be so extensive that it disrupts the normal functioning of the brain's cognitive processes. The diagnosis of UWS involves a comprehensive neurological examination and may include additional tests such as electroencephalogram (EEG) to assess brain wave activity and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to evaluate brain function. The prognosis for patients with UWS is generally poor, and the condition is often irreversible. However, some patients may show minimal improvements over time, and a very small percentage may regain some degree of consciousness. Treatment is primarily supportive and aims to maintain the patient's physical health, prevent complications, and provide comfort.

Unresponsive Wakefulness Syndrome, or UWS, is a result of a traumatic brain injury (TBI), which causes the brain to halt the ability to create thoughts, experience sensation, and remember past events. ... Doctors said Thursday that Warmbier appeared to have suffered "respiratory distress", cutting off oxygen to the brain.