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 a lesional approach offered via the study of neurological patients. The selected contributors are all outstanding authors and undisputed leaders in their field.

- The first major book on the Neurology of Consciousness, i.e. on the study of brain damages and disease states that lead to varying levels of disturbances in human consciousness (vegetative, coma, minimally conscious states, etc)

- Structured, illustrated, and priced to be attractive to a wide market, including students in Neuroscience, Neurology, Psychology, Psychiatry etc

- Articles from the main researchers in the field, including Christof Koch, Marcus Raichle, Allan Hobson, Nicholas Schiff, Joseph Fins, Michael Gazzaniga, Lionel Naccache

- Unique and comprehensive in its focus

- Of great interest in the ethical discussion of coma cases, includes a chapter on the ethics by JJ Fins

- Of great interest to anybody thinking about consciousness as one of the major philosophical, sociological, political, and religious questions of our time