Why do comas happen and how does it work internally?
In: Biology
A coma is a symptom, it means that you aren’t asleep, but you aren’t responding to normal stimuli like a healthy person would.
The symptom of a coma can have many different potential causes. Generally it happens when brain damage occurs, and the brain partially (or completely) shuts down in response. The damage can be minor, major, or catastrophic. Depending on the amount of damage and the cause, the coma may be temporary, it may be permanent, or it could be part of a progression towards death.
As previously mentioned, what is happening internally will depend on the cause and severity of the brain damage. In a minor coma, the brain shuts down a lot of the regular movement and thought centers as a safety precaution to prevent further damange, then slowly wakes them back up. This is different from regular sleep, where your brain remains very active even though you aren’t moving or awake.
In a very severe coma, the patient isn’t awake because a large part of the brain has been effectively destroyed, and only the very basic functions like breathing are still working. You can’t recover from something like this because the brain’s ability to regenerate damage tissue is pretty limited.
Latest Answers