Abstract

Understanding loss of consciousness after brain injury poses a practical test for the field of consciousness research, with both clinical and ethical implications. We here discuss three major pathological disorders of consciousness; coma, the unresponsive wakefulness syndrome and the minimally conscious state, which together represent a lesion model for the investigation of human awareness. We review the anatomical and neurophysiological correlates of each condition, and discuss the current findings in context of several theoretical frameworks of consciousness.