ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Neurosci.
Sec. Auditory Cognitive Neuroscience
Volume 19 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnins.2025.1610811
This article is part of the Research TopicMusic and Medicine: From Basic Science to Clinical PracticeView all 11 articles
The effect of Musical Sensory Orientation Training in improving consciousness level in patients with disorders of consciousness: A pilot study
Provisionally accepted
- 1Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, Changsha, China
- 2Hunan Rehabilitation Hospital, Changsha, China
- 3Beijing Boai Hospital, China Rehabilitation Research Center, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
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Introduction: Musical sensory orientation training (MSOT) is an innovative technique to improve the state of consciousness and cognitive function. Compared with traditional arousal therapies, MSOT offers a non-invasive, safe, and easily operable alternative with no side effects. This study aimed to conduct a preliminary investigation into the effect of MSOT in improving consciousness levels in patients with DoC (Disorders of Consciousness), as well as the feasibility of its clinical application, thereby providing reference for future large-sample randomized controlled studies. Methods: We recruited 42 participants between March 2023 and December 2024, dividing them into two groups: a control group of 21 patients who received conventional treatment for DoC and watched videos of family/friends' activities and short videos, and an intervention group of 21 patients who received MSOT along with conventional treatment. Patients in both groups were assessed at baseline, week 5 and week 8 of the intervention.The MSOT group showed significant improvement in Coma Recovery Scale -Revised (CRS-R) subscale and total scores over time (baseline, week 5, week 8). At week 8, the MSOT group demonstrated significantly higher CRS-R scores in communication function and arousal level compared to the control group. Behavioral observations in the MSOT group revealed significantly higher frequencies of name response, sound source tracking, and command-following behaviors.The results of this study demonstrate that MSOT exhibits certain effect in improving consciousness levels in patients with DoC and demonstrates feasibility in clinical implementation. Extending the intervention duration in future studies may amplify its therapeutic effects.
Keywords: disorders of consciousness, MSOT, Music Therapy, CRS-R, Quasiexperimental study
Received: 13 Apr 2025; Accepted: 25 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Gu, Long, Zeng, Qin, Dong, Fang and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Xiaoying Zhang, Beijing Boai Hospital, China Rehabilitation Research Center, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100068, China
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