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Global disorders of consciousness
1Department of Philosophy, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews. Cognitive Science
|August 26, 2015
Summary
Global disorders of consciousness, including vegetative and minimally conscious states, challenge current understanding. These conditions offer unique insights into consciousness and its relation to cognitive control.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Science
- Neuroscience
- Philosophy of Mind
Background:
- Global disorders of consciousness (e.g., vegetative state, minimally conscious state, absence seizures) are of significant research interest.
- Assessing consciousness in these conditions is challenging due to difficulties in applying standard criteria.
- These disorders present unique opportunities to study the nature of consciousness and its link to cognitive/behavioral control.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the challenges and opportunities presented by global disorders of consciousness for consciousness science.
- To examine the relationship between consciousness and cognitive/behavioral control in these states.
Main Methods:
- Review and synthesis of existing literature on disorders of consciousness.
- Conceptual analysis of consciousness criteria in clinical contexts.
- Exploration of theoretical frameworks linking consciousness to cognitive function.
Main Results:
- Standard criteria for consciousness are often inadequate for patients with global disorders of consciousness.
- These conditions highlight the complexity of consciousness and its dissociation from overt behavior.
- Further research is needed to refine our understanding of conscious states in these populations.
Conclusions:
- Global disorders of consciousness represent critical areas for advancing the science of consciousness.
- Understanding these states is key to elucidating the fundamental nature of consciousness and its neural underpinnings.
- Future research should focus on developing novel methods to assess consciousness and its relationship with cognitive control.
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