Overview

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the efficacy of a musical interventionand non-invasive brain stimulation in neurological patients. The main questions it aims to answer are:

• to evaluate the residual neuroplastic processes in DOC state related to music exposure
• to determine the putative modulation of the aforementioned processes and the clinical outcome of DOC patients by non-pharmacological strategies, i.e., electric (tDCS) and music stimulation
• to evaluate the impact of this intervention on caregiver's burden and psychological distress.

Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three different music-listening intervention groups. Primary outcomes will be clinical, that is based on the neurologist's observations of clinical improvement, and neurophysiological, collected pre-intervention, post-intervention and post-placebo.

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age > 18 years
• Post-stroke aphasia
• Post-stroke neglect
• Patients with disorders of consciusness (DOC)

Exclusion Criteria:

• No auditory injury
• no hystory of neurological disease
• No hystory of psychiatric disease
• Previous stroke
• use of alcohol and drugs
• premorbid dementia