Preserved oscillatory response but lack of mismatch negativity in patients with disorders of consciousness ✩ Yvonne H¨ oller a,b,* , J¨ urgen Bergmann a,b , Martin Kronbichler a,b , Julia Sophia Crone a,b , Elisabeth Verena Schmid a,b , Stefan Golaszewski b,c , Gunther Ladurner a,b a Department of Psychology & Center for Neurocognitive Research, University of Salzburg, Austria b Neuroscience Institute & Center for Neurocognitive Research, Christian-Doppler-Clinic, Paracelsus Private Medical University, Salzburg, Austria c Department of Neurology, Christian-Doppler-Clinic, Paracelsus Private Medical University, Salzburg, Austria Abstract Research highlights: • NPLOs are sensitiver than ERPs • preserved reactivity in DOC • inter-individual variability in MMN Objective: The diagnostic validity of non-phase-locked oscillations (NPLOs) and mismatch negativity (MMN) in an oddball task for assessing attentional reactivity in patients with disordered consciousness was examined. Methods: Patients in a minimally conscious (MCS, n = 6) or vegetative (VS, n = 16) state and healthy controls (n = 15) were assessed. MMN and NPLOs ✩ Acknowledgments: This research project is being supported by the Jubil¨aumsfonds of the National Bank of Austria (project nr. 13643). Thanks to Anne Heidecke, Maximilian M¨ uhlberger, Markus Schiefecker, Philipp Schwartenbeck, and Angelika Zeller for their as- sistance in data recording and processing. No conflicting financial interests or commercial considerations are related to the presented issues. * Corresponding author - Contact Address: Christian-Doppler-Klinik, Ignaz-Harrer-Str. 79, 5020 Salzburg, Austria Tel.: +43(0)662 4483-3966, Fax: +43(0)662 4483-2004 Email address: yvonne.hoeller[at]sbg.ac.at (Yvonne H¨ oller) Preprint submitted to CLINPH January 31, 2011