ABSTRACT
The manifestations of the adverse effects of the aviation environment and of some clinical disorders have much in common. Wakefulness may be impaired when aircrew have difficulty in coping with irregularity of their rest and activity, and excessive daytime sleepiness occurs with some disorders of sleep. The states of wakefulness, awareness and consciousness are crucial to the aviator. The identification of the anatomical substrates for these states of responsiveness and understanding the physiological basis of wakefulness, awareness and consciousness are of much interest in the neurosciences. The full manifestation of the sleep–wakefulness continuum involves not only the arousal system projecting from the brainstem, but also the circadian system. Awareness facilitates perception and is dependent on the wakeful state. The discipline of philosophy has had a significant impact on present-day understanding of consciousness, and its deliberations are consistent with the emerging understanding of its neural substrate. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
