[Effects of multisensory stimulation interventions in brain-damaged patients]

Classical multisensory stimulation (MSS) programmes comprises modules for visual, acoustical, olfactorial and vestibularic stimulation. Therapeutic goal is a near-optimally structured and supporting environment adapted to the reduced abilities in perception and cognition of patients in a coma, with dementia, or with a learning disability. A critical review (based on the EMBASE and PubMed databases) shows that there is a shortage of studies as well as poor evidence of the effectiveness of multisensory stimulation approaches in general. A few studies show positive short-term effects concerning behavioural changes in patients in a coma, with dementia or with a learning disability but no evident long-term effects. Verifiable short-term effects, however, legitimate multisensory interventions in brain-damaged patients.