This volume provides a guide to recent developments in research on pain perception and assessment, and the detection of consciousness and communication in patients with disorders of consciousness. It will be an invaluable guide for clinicians, medics and therapists working in rehabilitation and acute care, and also useful for students and researchers in neuropsychology and medical sciences.

'This book provides an up-to date discussion of theoretical, scientific, clinical and ethical issues related to assessment and management of communication and pain in one of the most vulnerable patient groups in brain injury rehabilitation. A must have for researchers and practitioners who work with patients suffering disorders of consciousness'. - Marianne Løvstad, Sunnaas Rehabilitation Hospital and University of Oslo, Norway

'In the absence of clear guidelines for the management of pain in disorders of consciousness, this book is a very helpful and important resource for all clinicians and researchers working in this field. It provides the reader with the state of the art in regard to diagnostic and treatment issues embedded in a larger context of the challenges and ethical dilemmas inherent in the clinical management of severely impaired non-communicative patients'. - Petra Maurer-Karattup, Clinic for Neurorehabilitation of Severe Head Injuries, SRH Fachkrankenhaus Neresheim, Germany