Music as an auditory stimulus in stroke patients

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cardiovascular Physiology
• Neurology

Background:

• Auditory stimulation is known to increase mean blood flow velocity (MBFV) in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) in healthy individuals.
• Understanding cerebrovascular responses to auditory stimuli in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients is crucial for potential therapeutic interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To monitor changes in MCA MBFV in response to auditory stimulation (music) in patients with AIS.
• To investigate the relationship between stroke severity, measured by the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), and the cerebrovascular response.

Main Methods:

• Sixty-six non-thrombolysed AIS patients were divided into two groups based on NIHSS scores (≤10 and >10).
• Transcranial Doppler (TCD) was used to measure MCA MBFV during 30 minutes of music listening.
• Key metrics included time to peak increase (Tmax) and percentage of amplitude change (Amax) in MBFV.

Main Results:

• A significant increase in MCA MBFV was observed in 78.85% of AIS patients during music listening compared to baseline.
• No significant differences in Tmax or Amax were found between the two NIHSS score groups.
• A trend towards a longer Tmax was observed with increasing NIHSS scores, suggesting a potential link between stroke severity and response time.

Conclusions:

• Music serves as an effective auditory stimulus that can elicit measurable changes in MCA MBFV in stroke patients.
• While reaction time (Tmax) did not significantly differ based on stroke severity, a trend suggests prolonged responses in more severe cases.
• Transcranial Doppler is a viable tool for assessing cerebrovascular reactivity to auditory stimuli in AIS.