brain, spinal cord, and nerve disorders
Consciousness
Introduction
Consciousness has two parts: Whether a person is awake and alert (wakefulness) What people are conscious of (content) (alertness) is impaired, people do not respond normally to the outside world (for example, when they are touched or spoken to), and they do not acquire information from it. If wakefulness is impaired, people usually appear sluggish, drowsy, unconscious, or asleep. They may be difficult to arouse, as occurs in Stupor and Coma , or impossible to arouse, as occurs in depends on mental (cognitive) function and involves understanding and processing what is experienced and encountered. When mental function is impaired, people have problems with memory, thinking, judgment, and learning, as occurs in Dementia . Often, disorders that impair wakefulness also impair mental function, as occurs in Delirium . 