In what condition is a patient awake but unable to move?

BRY2K

This sounds remarkably like a condition called sleep paralysis. It occurs when the brain awakens from Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep. During normal REM sleep, the brain is very active (it is the time of the night when dreaming often occurs.) During this stage of sleep, the brain sends a signal to the skeletal muscle in the body and paralyzes, or immobilizes, them. The only muscles that work are the diaphragm, the main muscle that helps us breathe and the eye muscles (hence, the name "rapid eye movement" sleep). If the brain awakens before the signal that immobilizes the muscles is turned off, the person will wake-up but still be paralyzed. This can be a very scary experience that lasts for a few seconds and then breaks. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/39424.php Aug 06 08, 7:43 PM

jk18

I agree with BRY2K. Physiologically, it is closely related to the paralysis that occurs as a natural part of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, which is known as REM atonia. Sleep paralysis occurs when the brain awakes from a REM state, but the bodily paralysis persists. This leaves the person fully conscious, but unable to move. In addition, the state may be accompanied by terrifying hallucinations (hypnopompic or hypnagogic) and an acute sense of danger [3]. Sleep paralysis is particularly frightening to the individual due to the vividness of such hallucinations[4]. Symptoms: Paralysis: this occurs after waking up or shortly before falling asleep. The person cannot move any body part, cannot speak, and only has minimal control over blinking and breathing. This paralysis is the same paralysis that occurs when dreaming. The brain paralyzes the muscles to prevent possible injury during dreams, as some body parts may move during dreaming. If the person wakes up suddenly, the brain may still think that it is dreaming, and sustains the paralysis. Hallucinations: Images or speaking that appear during the paralysis. The person may think that someone is standing beside them or they may hear strange sounds. These may be dreamlike, possibly causing the person to think that they are still dreaming. Often it is reported as feeling a weight on one's chest, as if being underneath a person or heavy object. These symptoms can last from mere seconds to several minutes (although they can feel like much longer) and can be frightening to the person. There may be some body movement, but it is very unlikely and hard for a person to accomplish. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_paralysis Aug 06 08, 7:50 PM

zbeckabee

Locked-In syndrome is a condition in which a patient is aware and awake, but cannot move or communicate due to complete paralysis of nearly all voluntary muscles in the body. It is the result of a brain stem lesion in which the ventral part of the pons is damaged. The condition has been described as "the closest thing to being buried alive". In French, the common term is "maladie de l'emmuré vivant", literally translated as walled-in alive disease; in German it is sometimes called "Eingeschlossensein". Locked-in syndrome is also known as Cerebromedullospinal Disconnection, De-Efferented State, Pseudocoma, and ventral pontine syndrome. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/lockedinsyndrome/lockedinsyndrome.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locked-In_syndrome Aug 06 08, 8:25 PM