Answer Happy

Case Study The public still has some confusion over the differences between a patient in a vegetative state and a patient who is brain dead. True cases of the former condition, known as a persistent vegetative state, exhibit basic responses to their environment such as pupil dilation in bright light, sleep patterns, breathing and other respiratory actions (cough, gag, swallow), and involuntary tactile reflexes such as grasping. Patients who are brain dead exhibit zero brain activity and are considered legally dead in most states, although organ function can be artificially sustained through life support. • What parts of the brain would be functioning in a patient in a vegetative state to support the symptoms described?