Supporting Materials for Into the Gray Zone

As Dr. Adrian Owen takes you through a thought-provoking journey, he references links to supporting material that help bring the story to life.
Find all relevant resources mentioned in the book here.

First Contact

In this video you will meet Kate, the first vegetative state patient to show that part of her was still in there through brain scanning. Kate is introduced in Chapter 2 of Into the Gray Zone.


Scaffolds of Consciousness

In Chapter 5, Adrian discusses the case of Terri Schiavo. This short video from the New York Times beautifully summarizes the case that crystallized public awareness of the gray zone.


The Mind Reader

Referenced in Chapter 10, “The Mind Reader” is an award-winning look at how, through the experiences of these patients and their families, we bear witness to the extraordinary resilience of the human spirit.


Are You in Pain?

This heart-wrenching moment is described in Chapter 10. After a tense moment in the scanner room, Scott reveals that despite being locked inside his body, he is fully alive.


Live or Let Die?

In Chapter 11, Adrian discusses the ethics and morals around the "right to live" and "right to die" debates. Should society allow us more freedom to pull the plug just because a person is in the gray zone?

Back From the Dead

In Chapter 13, Adrian describes the case of Juan, a patient who appeared to be vegetative, but who was nevertheless able to describe everything that happened to him while in this condition.


Take Me Home

In Chapter 14, Adrian describes Leonard, who was declared vegetative following a cardiac arrest in 2010. There appeared to be something there, at least to those who loved him. But what was it?


Reading Minds

In Chapter 15, Adrian describes Dan: shot through the head, alive, but nonresponsive. This TNT television show dramatizes the race to find out who shot him through brain imaging.


Additional Videos

Other videos related to the book can be accessed here.