Understanding consciousness is the major unsolved problem in biology. One increasingly important method of studying consciousness is to study disorders of consciousness, e.g. brain damage and disease states leading to vegetative states, coma, minimally conscious states, etc. Many of these studies are very much in the public eye because of their relationship to controversies about coma patients (e.g. Terry Schiavo case in the US recently), and the relationship to one of the major philosophical, sociological, political, and religious questions of humankind.
This is the first book to summarize our current understanding of the neuroanatomical and functional underpinnings of human consciousness by emphasizing alesional approach offered via the study of neurological patients. The selected contributors are all outstanding authors and undisputed leaders in their field.