Mutism, akinetic

Mutism, akinetic
A state in which a person is unspeaking (mute) and unmoving (akinetic). A textbook on clinical neurology observes that a person with akinetic mutism has "sleep-waking cycles but, when apparently awake, with eyes open, lies mute. immobile and unresponsive." Akinetic mutism is often due to damage to the frontal lobes of the brain. The disorder was the subject of a front-page story in The New York Times on Aug. 30, 1998. The story concerned a 14-year-old girl in Worcester, Mass. named Audrey Santo, bedridden for eleven years, "inert and unspeaking, the legacy of an accidental fall into a backyard swimming pool" in 1987. "She has had a steady stream of visitors to her home", according to the Times, "including priests and some people who claim that they were miraculously healed by her." According to Audrey's pediatrician, Dr. John W. Harding, "She kind of gives you the impression at various times that she sees, hears, and knows who you are."

Medical dictionary. 2011.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Akinetic mutism — is a medical term describing patients who tend neither to speak (mutism) nor move (akinesia). It is the result of severe frontal lobe damage in which the pattern of inhibitory control is one of increasing passivity and gradually decreasing speech …   Wikipedia

  • Mutism — refers to certain types of speech disorder, one of the following:*Akinetic mutism *Hysterical mutism *Selective mutism *Hearing mutism, an obsolete term of late 19th early 20th century for specific language impairment… …   Wikipedia

  • Akinetic — Without movement (or without much movement). A term used in neurology to denote the absence (or poverty) of movement. The word akinetic comes from the prefix a meaning without + the Greek word kinesis meaning motion = without motion. For example …   Medical dictionary

  • Akinetic mutism — A state in which a person is unspeaking (mute) and unmoving (akinetic). A textbook on clinical neurology observes that a person with akinetic mutism has sleep waking cycles but, when apparently awake, with eyes open, lies mute. immobile and… …   Medical dictionary

  • Mutism — The inability or unwillingness to speak. A person who is mute cannot or does not care to talk. Someone who was mute was said to be dumb, not in the sense of being stupid, but in the sense of being devoid of the power of speech. The term mutism is …   Medical dictionary

  • akinetic mutism — Pathol., Psychiatry. a state of apparent alertness with normal eye movements but no speech or other voluntary motion, usually due to a stroke. * * * …   Universalium

  • akinetic mutism — Pathol., Psychiatry. a state of apparent alertness with normal eye movements but no speech or other voluntary motion, usually due to a stroke …   Useful english dictionary

  • Akinesia — (from the prefix a , without , and the Greek κίνηση, kinisi , motion ) is the inability to initiate movement due to difficulty selecting and/or activating motor programs in the central nervous system. Common in severe cases of Parkinson s disease …   Wikipedia

  • Akinesia — Impaired body movement; without movement (or without much movement). Akinesia is a term used in neurology to denote the absence (or poverty) of movement. The word akinetic comes from the prefix a meaning without + the Greek word kinesis meaning… …   Medical dictionary

  • Muteness — or mutism is an inability to speak caused by a speech disorder. The term originates from the Latin word mutus, meaning silent . Contents 1 Causes 2 Variations 3 Coping with mutism 4 …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”