Persistent vegetative state (PVS) was identified by that name in 1972 by the neurologists Bryan Jennett and Fred Plum (Jennett and Plum 1972). Both the name and the state have been a source of controversy since that time.

General Description

PVS results from the total lack of function of the cerebral cortex, the large outer part of the human brain. The size of the cortex in different species of vertebrates correlates with their respective levels of intelligence, with primates having the largest cortex among all genera and humans having the largest among all primates. Cortical activity is necessary for all types of cognitive states, from sight and hearing to speech and thought. The most common causes of loss of cortical function are traumatic injuries and anoxic-ischemic injuries. Traumatic injuries include those seen in car or motorcycle accidents, and anoxic-ischemic injuries include those seen in strokes, drowning...