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Locked-in Syndrome and the Misplaced Presumption of Misery

undark.org · 2,729 words · saved by 1 readers

Despite near total paralysis, surveys suggest most LIS patients are happy. Researchers want that more widely understood.

I n 1993, Julio Lopes was sipping a coffee at a bar when he had a stroke. He fell into a coma, and two months later, when he regained consciousness, his body was fully paralyzed. Doctors said the young man’s future was bleak: Save for his eyes, he would never be able to move again. Lopes would have to live with locked-in syndrome, a rare condition characterized by near-total paralysis of the body and a totally lucid mind. LIS is predominantly caused by strokes in specific brain regions; it can also be caused by traumatic brain injury, tumors, and progressive diseases like amyotrophic lateral s

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