Auditory stimulation effect on a comatose survivor of traumatic brain injury.

The purposes of this case study were (1) to determine whether a comatose patient responded differentially to four types of auditory stimuli--voices of family members and friends, classical music, popular music, and nature sounds--and (2) to determine what physiological measures and behavioral observations best captured changes in responsiveness. The patient participated in 28 sessions that were videotaped for later behavioral analysis. During all sessions, measures were taken of pulse rate, respiration rate, and skin resistance.