Disorders of consciousness: Preface

Nicholas D. Schiff and S. Laureys

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 1157, ix-xi (2009)

Summary

Advances in neuroimaging and neuroscience hold significant promise for improving understanding of disorders of consciousness arising from severe brain injuries. The 87th Annual Conference of the Association for Research in Nervous and Mental Disease focused on the emerging findings in the field of disorders of consciousness. Held at the historic New York Academy of Medicine in New York City on December 7 and 8, 2007 the Disorders of Consciousness conference brought together a distinguished, small group of basic neuroscientists and clinical investigators engaged in fundamental investigation of arousal and mechanisms underlying large-scale forebrain integration, state-of-the-art neuroimaging studies of patients with disorders of consciousness, and experts in the fields of the neurology of consciousness and ethics who addressed the larger context in which the emerging neuroscience will be received and integrated. The intended goal of the conference was aimed at updating and advancing knowledge of diagnostic and prognostic methods, potential therapeutic strategies, and importantly identifying challenges for professionals engaged in the study of these patient populations.

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