Which components are included in the Glasgow Coma Scale?

• A. Eye opening, verbal response, and motor response
• B. Pupillary reaction, limb movement, and speech
• C. Sensation, reflexes, and tone
• D. Alertness, orientation, and concentration

Answer: (A)

The Glasgow Coma Scale is a quick, standardized way to quantify level of consciousness using three domains: eye opening, verbal response, and motor response. Each domain is scored separately and then added to give a total between 3 and 15, with higher scores indicating better consciousness.

Eye opening assesses arousal: spontaneous opening is a 4, opening to speech is a 3, opening to pain is a 2, and no opening is a 1. Verbal response reflects language and orientation: oriented conversation is a 5, confused speech is a 4, incomprehensible sounds are a 2–3 range depending on wording, and no verbal response is a 1. Motor response evaluates movement: obeys commands is a 6, localizes to pain is a 5, withdraws from pain is a 4, abnormal flexion (decorticate) is a 3, extension (decerebrate) is a 2, and no movement is a 1.

This combination—eye opening, verbal response, and motor response—is what the Glasgow Coma Scale uses to assess consciousness. Pupillary reaction, limb movement as a separate category, and general terms like sensation, reflexes, or tone are part of broader neuro exams but not components of the GCS, and terms like alertness or concentration describe mental status but are not the three GCS domains.