The International Brain Research Foundation, Inc. (IBRF), a 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporation registered in New York State and New Jersey, is dedicated to making advances in translational neuroscientific research to support progress in novel care utilizing advanced treatment protocols.  Through a network of neuroscientists and clinicians, the IBRF is developing partnerships with numerous institutions worldwide to meet that end.  Through this global reach, the IBRF is able to expedite discovery and to accelerate the scientific findings in an efficient manner, which ultimately will accelerate the scientific community’s progress in solving some of the complex issues related to brain health and disease processes.

This is a very welcome addition to the field of neuroscience literature and should be read by anyone involved in the care of persons with disorders of consciousness. The book starts with a thoughtful Preface by the editors, Dr. Laureys and Dr. Tononi, which is followed by yet another introspective commentary by Dr. Allan Hobson of Harvard Medical School in the form of a Prologue. The contributors to this text include some quickly recognizable names, including Drs. James Bernat, Antonio Damasio, Joseph Fins, Michael Gazzaniga, Adrian Owen, Joseph Giacino, Nicholas Schiff and Adam Zeman, among others.

Because the visual system is organized in a highly specific way, in adulthood, i.e. beyond the critical period of early development, loss of visual functions due to stroke or brain trauma is generally considered to be irreversible. Perceptual dysfunctions, such as visual field defects in hemianopia following visual cortex lesions or rather diffuse visual field defects after optic neuropathy, are believed to be permanent, without real hope for improvement.  Fortunately, several discoveries made during the last decade have unveiled previously unrecognized potentials of residual, visual functions which can be found even deep in the blind field or especially at the border regions of the blind zones with considerable restoration potential.