Description: Into the Gray Zone will take readers to the edge of a dazzling, humbling frontier in our understanding of the brain: the so-called gray zone between full consciousness and brain death. People in this middle place have sustained horrific brain injuries or are the victims of stroke or degenerative diseases such as Alzheimers and Parkinsons. Many are oblivious to the outside world, as incapable of thought as their doctors believe. But a sizeable number are experiencing something different: intact minds adrift deep within damaged brains and bodies. World-renowned neuroscientist Adrian Owen led a team that, in 2006, discovered this lost population. In doing so, he made medical history. Scientists, physicians, ethicists and philosophers have only just begun to grapple with the implications.
Review Quotes: "Fascinating...With remarkable clarity, Owen punctuates his findings with concise dispatches on the human condition and the disparities between what is considered quality of life and what some consider an inhumane, dysfunctional existence....A striking scientific journey that draws hopeful attention to how the brain reacts, restores, and perseveres despite grave injury."
--Kirkus Reviews