Abstract
Recognition of typical patterns of brain response to external stimuli using near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) may become a gateway to detecting covert consciousness in clinically unresponsive patients. This is the first fNIRS study on the cortical hemodynamic response to favorite music using a frequency domain approach. The aim of this study was to identify a possible marker of cognitive response in healthy subjects by investigating variations in the oscillatory signal of fNIRS in the spectral regions of low-frequency (LFO) and very-low-frequency oscillations (VLFO). The experiment consisted of two periods of exposure to preferred music, preceded and followed by a resting phase. Spectral power in the LFO region increased in all the subjects after the first exposure to music and decreased again in the subsequent resting phase. After the second music exposure, the increase in LFO spectral power was less distinct. Changes in LFO spectral power were more after first music exposure and the repetition-related habituation effect strongly suggest a cerebral origin of the fNIRS signal. Recognition of typical patterns of brain response to specific environmental stimulation is a required step for the concrete validation of a fNIRS-based diagnostic tool.
Highlights
Perception of preferred music has been shown to simultaneously activate different cerebral regions and networks involved in consciousness, language, emotion, and memory processing [1,2]
We propose an alternative approach to Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) analysis consisting of the investigation of the hemodynamic oscillations of the cerebral cortex by means of spectral analysis [15]
The qualitative analysis of the power spectra of the fNIRS signal in the six subjects confirmed a common pattern of distribution of power, with a peak under the frequency of 0.05 Hz (VLFO) and a second peak of power between 0.05 and 0.2 Hz (LFO)
Summary
Perception of preferred music has been shown to simultaneously activate different cerebral regions and networks involved in consciousness, language, emotion, and memory processing [1,2]. Auditory stimulation with preferred music is sensitive for identifying awareness and has been shown to elicit a cortical response in minimally conscious state patients [4]. Measurement of brain response to preferred music may be used to detect covert consciousness in clinically unresponsive patients. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) could represent a promising non-invasive, bedside method to monitor cortical activity and eventually detect signs of consciousness in critically ill neurological patients [8,9,10]. Recognition of typical patterns of brain response to preferred music in healthy subjects is a required step to develop a tool that we can concretely use to assess clinically unresponsive patients and eventually detect covert consciousness
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