This is the first volume to look in depth at the way the brain responds to trauma and subsequently integrates and influences behavioural, metabolic, neurohumoral, cardiovascular and immune functions. It is becoming increasingly clear that the brain has an important role in the control and integration of the responses to injury and infection. It is well established that some of these responses, such as fever and neuroendocrine changes, are directly influenced by the central nervous system. These, and other more recent advances, provide new insights into this area and provide a basis for the more effective understanding and clinical management of trauma patients. The authors, all international authorities in their fields, discuss established and recent data from experimental and clinical studies and consider the implications of these findings for the treatment of the trauma patient.