The term Akinetic Mutism refers to a person who is unable to speak or move. Akinetic Mutism is the result of severe frontal lobe damage in which the system if inhibitory control is one of increasing passivity and gradually decreasing speech and motion. A person suffering from this disorder may have ‘sleep walking’ cycles but when awake lies mute and unresponsive.
Causes of Akinetic Mutism:
- One of the causes is olfactory groove meningioma.
- It can also develop in the final stages of Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease.
- Acute cases of encephalitis lethargia.
- It can also occur in a stroke that affects both anterior cerebral territories.
- It can also occur due to the ablation of the cingulate gyrus.
- Environmental factors can also trigger this disorder.
- Biological factors are also responsible for the development of this illness.
- Anxiety and interpersonal factors may also be the underlying causes.
Symptoms of Akinetic Mutism:
- Inability to talk
- Lack of Movement
- Indifference and lack of interest
- No response to pain or external stimuli
- Whispering speech
- Ataxia
- Dementia
- Behavioral disturbance
- Occurrence of seizures
Akinetic mutism is a state of unconsciousness in which the patient is unable to talk, move or respond to any stimuli. He/she may lie with the eyes open, seemingly unaware of the occurrences taking place around him. This disorder is characterized by a silent and lifeless state without voluntary motor activity irrespective of the preserved sensor motor pathways and awareness. It is the outcome of bilateral damage that has incurred on the orbital surface of the frontal lobes. The patient appears to be awake and has normal ocular movement but is unable to communicate and has minimal motor response to painful stimuli.
Treatment of Akinetic Mutism:
Bromocriptine is prescribed to treat patients suffering from this disorder. Behavior modification therapy along with anti depressant medication such as amphotericin B and Zolpidem is recommended.
Children affected with Akinetic Mutism:
- If your child gets affected by this disorder, do not lose hope.
- Provide every single opportunity for him/her to socialize and speak with others.
- Do not alienate the child.
- Parents should seek help from their child’s teachers, principal, school psychologist or clinical social worker.
