title: Information processing in patients in vegetative and minimally conscious states.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Evaluation of a short two-tone oddball paradigm to discriminate between the vegetative state (VS) and minimal consciousness state (MCS) in a sample of patients with severe disorders of consciousness (DOC).
  
  
  METHODS
  EEG was recorded from 45 DOC patients and 14 healthy participants while listening to an auditory oddball paradigm presented in a passive - just listen - and an active - count the odd tones - condition. In patients, the experiment was repeated after a minimum of one week.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Prevalence of the P300 was higher in healthy participants (71%) than in patients, but did not discriminate between VS (T1: ∼10%; T2: ∼11%) and MCS (T1: ∼13%; T2: 25%) patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results cast doubt on whether this simple auditory stimulation paradigm, which requires cognitive action from the listener, is sensitive enough to discriminate between patients with DOC.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The sensitivity of the P300 ERP obtained in a short two-tone oddball paradigm presented in a passive and an active condition appears to be too low for routine application in a clinical setting aiming at distinguishing between VS and MCS patients.
authors: Institute of Psychology, University of Würzburg, Germany. Electronic address: ruben.real@uni-wuerzburg.de.
authors: Ruben G L
authors: RGL
authors: Real
authors: Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Germany.
authors: Sandra
authors: S
authors: Veser
authors: Institute of Psychology, University of Würzburg, Germany.
authors: Helena
authors: H
authors: Erlbeck
authors: IRCCS, Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy.
authors: Monica
authors: M
authors: Risetti
authors: Schön Clinics for Neurological Rehabilitation, Bad Aibling, Germany.
authors: Dominik
authors: D
authors: Vogel
authors: Schön Clinics for Neurological Rehabilitation, Bad Aibling, Germany.
authors: Friedemann
authors: F
authors: Müller
authors: Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Germany.
authors: Boris
authors: B
authors: Kotchoubey
authors: IRCCS, Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy.
authors: Donatella
authors: D
authors: Mattia
authors: Institute of Psychology, University of Würzburg, Germany.
authors: Andrea
authors: A
authors: Kübler
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000379:methods*; D018913:Event-Related Potentials, P300 / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008606:Mental Processes / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D018458:Persistent Vegetative State / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology*
keywords: DOC; EEG; Minimally conscious state; P300; Vegetative state