Examining the Functionality of the MATADOC With the CRS-R: A Pilot Study

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Music Therapy

Background:

• Prolonged disorders of consciousness (PDOC) present significant diagnostic and prognostic challenges due to profound motor, sensory, cognitive, and communication deficits.
• Accurate assessment of awareness is crucial for determining prognosis and accessing appropriate rehabilitation interventions for individuals with acquired brain injuries.
• The Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R) is the established gold standard for assessing awareness in PDOC.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the preliminary concurrent validity of the Music Therapy Assessment Tool for Awareness in Disorders of Consciousness (MATADOC) against the CRS-R.
• To explore the correlation between diagnostic classifications and item functionality between the MATADOC and CRS-R.
• To assess the potential of the MATADOC as a complementary diagnostic tool in PDOC.

Main Methods:

• A repeated measures design was employed, administering both the MATADOC and CRS-R concurrently to 8 participants with PDOC.
• Correlations were analyzed for overall diagnosis and specific item functionality between the two assessment tools.
• Within-measure and inter-item relationships were examined for various domains, including auditory, visual, communication, and arousal.

Main Results:

• Adequate agreement was observed between the MATADOC and CRS-R for overall diagnostic classification.
• Significant positive correlations were found across all domains when using repeated administrations of the MATADOC.
• Both measures showed significant correlations between auditory and communication domains with diagnosis; the MATADOC also showed significant correlations for visual and arousal domains.

Conclusions:

• The MATADOC demonstrates promising concurrent validity as a diagnostic measure for prolonged disorders of consciousness, comparable to the CRS-R.
• The findings support the utility of the MATADOC as a companion assessment, particularly in cases with diagnostic uncertainty.
• Music therapy, as assessed by the MATADOC, can effectively elicit arousal and optimize patient function, warranting further research with larger sample sizes.