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Minimally conscious state “plus”: diagnostic criteria and relation to functional recovery

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A Correction to this article was published on 19 March 2020

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Abstract

Background

We investigated the relationship between three language-dependent behaviors (i.e., command-following, intelligible verbalization, and intentional communication) and the functional status of patients with disorders of consciousness (DoC). We hypothesized that patients in minimally conscious state (MCS) who retain behavioral evidence of preserved language function would have similar levels of functional disability, while patients who lack these behaviors would demonstrate significantly greater disability. We reasoned that these results could then be used to establish empirically-based diagnostic criteria for MCS+.

Methods

In this retrospective cohort study we included rehabilitation inpatients diagnosed with DoC following severe-acquired brain injury (MCS = 57; vegetative state/unresponsive wakefulness syndrome [VS/UWS] = 63); women: 46; mean age: 47 ± 19 years; traumatic etiology: 68; time post-injury: 40 ± 23 days). We compared the scores of the Disability Rating Scale score (DRS) at time of transition from VS/UWS to MCS or from MCS– to MCS+, and at discharge between groups.

Results

Level of disability on the DRS was similar in patients with any combination of the three language-related behaviors. MCS patients with no behavioral evidence of language function (i.e., MCS–) were more functionally impaired than patients with MCS+ at time of transition and at discharge.

Conclusions

Command-following, intelligible verbalization, and intentional communication are not associated with different levels of functional disability. Thus, the MCS+ syndrome can be diagnosed based on the presence of any one of these language-related behaviors. Patients in MCS+ may evidence less functional disability compared to those in MCS who fail to demonstrate language function (i.e., MCS–).

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Change history

  • 19 March 2020

    Following electronic publication of the above-referenced manuscript, we discovered that one of the three criteria we proposed to establish command-following in the MCS+ syndrome was inadvertently omitted in some parts of the manuscript.

Abbreviations

CRS-R:

Coma recovery scale-revised

DoC:

Disorders of consciousness

DRS:

Disability rating scale

MCS:

Minimally conscious state

TBI:

Traumatic brain injury

UWS/VS:

Unresponsive wakefulness syndrome/vegetative state

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Acknowledgements

Dr. Aurore Thibaut is a FNRS is a post-doctoral research fellow and has been supported by the Wallonie Brussel International (WBI) scholarship, the Belgian American Educational Foundation (BAEF), and the Leon Fredericq Foundation. Dr. Bodien is supported by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), Administration for Community Living (90DP0039, Spaulding-Harvard TBI Model System). Dr. Giacino received support from NIDILRR (90DP0039, Spaulding-Harvard TBI Model System) and the James S. McDonnell Foundation (Understanding Human Cognition-Collaborative). The authors thank the clinical staff at Spaulding Hospital Cambridge and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital for acquiring the clinical metrics used in this study.

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Correspondence to Aurore Thibaut.

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Ethical standards

The REDCap database was approved by the local Institutional Review Board. Data were acquired during routine clinical care by trained clinicians.

Electronic supplementary material

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415_2019_9628_MOESM1_ESM.pptx

Supplementary figure 1: Study flowchart. CRS-R: Coma Recovery Scale-Revised; DRS: Disability Rating Scale; MCS: Minimally Conscious State; EMCS: Emergence from MCS; UWS: Unresponsive Wakefulness Syndrome (JPG 68 kb)

415_2019_9628_MOESM2_ESM.pptx

Supplementary figure 2: DRS at transition and at discharge for non-TBI and TBI. DRS total scores (means and SEs) at transition from UWS to MCS– (black columns) or at transition from UWS or MCS– to MCS+ (grey columns) and at discharge for the same groups. The graph on the left shows the results for the non-TBI subgroup and the graph on the right shows the results for the TBI subgroup (JPG 86 kb)

415_2019_9628_MOESM3_ESM.pptx

Supplementary figure 3: DRS without the communication subscale at time of transition. DRS total scores removing the communication subscale (means and SEs) for each group at transition from UWS to MCS– (black column) or at transition from UWS or MCS– to MCS+ (six grey columns). A3 = command following; C1 = intentional communication; DRS= Disability Rating Scale, MCS = minimally conscious state minus; O3 = intelligible verbalization. Black asterisks represent statistical differences between groups (JPG 88 kb)

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Thibaut, A., Bodien, Y.G., Laureys, S. et al. Minimally conscious state “plus”: diagnostic criteria and relation to functional recovery. J Neurol 267, 1245–1254 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-019-09628-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-019-09628-y

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