The Neurology of Impaired Consciousness: Challenges for Cognitive Neuroscience

This chapter examines the contribution of cognitive neuroscience to the study of impaired consciousness. The neurological bases of global disorders of consciousness are considered from the point of view of clinical-pathological correlations and functional neuroimaging studies. The discussion emphasizes the importance of direct measurement of cerebral function in severely brain-injured individuals and highlights several conceptual challenges presented by observational data obtained from such patients. Future directions for research and the wider social and philosophical implications of this. field of study are briefly outlined.