| Distinguishing clinical features | Anatomical lesion | |
| Locked-in syndrome | Quadriplegia with preserved vertical eye movements and consciousness | Pontine base |
| Coma | Unresponsive to stimuli, does not follow commands | Bilateral cerebral or upper brain stem |
| Akinetic mutism | No spontaneity or motivation | Bifrontal, deep gray matter, upper brain stem |
| Catatonia | Maintenance of body posture | No CNS lesions |
| Persistent vegetative state | No higher cortical functions, does not follow commands, retained cardiovascular and respiratory functions | Diffuse cerebral hemisphere |
