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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Neurol.
Sec. Neurorehabilitation
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fneur.2025.1506261

The Impact of Frequency-Specific Music Stimulation on Consciousness in Patients with Disorders of Consciousness

Provisionally accepted
Haitao Yang Haitao Yang 1Wenhao Huang Wenhao Huang 2Wei Wen Wei Wen 3*Shoufeng Long Shoufeng Long 4*Yujie Zhang Yujie Zhang 3*Xiangfeng Chi Xiangfeng Chi 5*Daihong Luo Daihong Luo 6*
  • 1 The First Affiliated Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
  • 2 Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
  • 3 Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
  • 4 Second Clinical Medical College, Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
  • 5 Guangdong Second Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
  • 6 Shenzhen Hospital of Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of frequency-specific music stimulation on the awareness and brain connectivity in patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC).Methods: A total of 25 DOC patients were exposed to auditory stimulation through music at varying frequencies (low: <0.5Hz, middle: 0.5Hz-3.5kHz, high: >3.5kHz).Brain responses were assessed using Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) to monitor objective markers of brain activity. The analysis focused on effective connectivity and coupling strength (CS) values in response to different frequency stimulations, targeting regions such as the motor and somatosensory cortices.Results: The mean age of the patients was 49.4 years, with an average coma duration of 1.96 months. While no significant differences were observed in general brain arousal across different frequency stimuli, notable differences in effective connectivity were identified. High-frequency stimulation resulted in significantly higher CS values in the right primary motor cortex (P < 0.05), while middle-frequency stimulation showed significant effects in the right primary somatosensory cortex (P = 0.016).The findings suggest that middle-and high-frequency music stimulation may enhance effective connectivity in specific brain regions, potentially contributing to the rehabilitation of DOC patients. These results indicate that frequency-specific music could stimulate motor networks and areas associated with autobiographical memory, highlighting its therapeutic potential in promoting awareness in this patient population.

    Keywords: Music stimulation, Consciousness, disorders of consciousness (DOC), Frequency-specific, fNIR

    Received: 04 Oct 2024; Accepted: 05 Feb 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Yang, Huang, Wen, Long, Zhang, Chi and Luo. 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:
    Wei Wen, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, 510006, Guangdong Province, China
    Shoufeng Long, Second Clinical Medical College, Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, 510000, Guangdong Province, China
    Yujie Zhang, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, 510006, Guangdong Province, China
    Xiangfeng Chi, Guangdong Second Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, 510095, China
    Daihong Luo, Shenzhen Hospital of Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.