Part of
New Horizons in the Neuroscience of ConsciousnessEdited by Elaine K. Perry, Daniel Collerton, Fiona E.N. LeBeau and Heather Ashton
[Advances in Consciousness Research 79] 2010
► pp. 179–186
Dementing illnesses massively damage the structures and processes thought to underlie consciousness. However, maintained alertness, preserved awareness, and the appearance of hallucinations in people with dementia all suggest that consciousness survives extreme challenge; implying that conscious processes are extremely robust, and conscious content invariably present.