It’s long been understood that classical music has the power to affect a person’s mood. Whether it’s the compositions of Bach, Beethoven, or Mozart, classical music has been known to evoke a wide range of emotions, and it is often used to promote relaxation and enhance well-being.
However, until recently, the exact neurological mechanisms behind its positive effects were not well understood. Now, groundbreaking research is revealing how Western classical music influences the brain in measurable ways, offering new insights into its potential therapeutic benefits, particularly for people suffering from treatment-resistant depression.
Scientists from Shanghai Jiao Tong University have employed brainwave measurements and neural imaging techniques to uncover how classical music impacts the brain’s neural circuitry.
Their findings suggest that classical music could serve as a powerful tool in the treatment of depression, especially for patients who do not respond well to conventional therapies.
“Ultimately, we hope to translate our research findings into clinical practice, developing convenient and effective music therapy tools and applications,” said Professor Bomin Sun, one of the lead researchers on the study.
The research centered around 13 patients diagnosed with treatment-resistant depression, who had already undergone a medical procedure to have electrodes implanted in their brains. These electrodes were part of a deep-brain stimulation system that targeted specific areas of the brain to alleviate depressive symptoms.
The implants were strategically placed in a circuit that connects two key regions of the brain: the bed nucleus of the stria terminals (BNST) and the nucleus accumbens (NAc). These regions are part of the brain’s reward system, playing crucial roles in processing both sensory and emotional information.
“The BNST-NAc circuit, sometimes referred to as part of the ‘extended amygdala’—underscores the close relationship between this circuit and the amygdala, a central structure in emotional information processing,” said Prof. Sun, a corresponding author of the paper published in the journal Cell Reports.
“This study reveals that music induces triple-time locking of neural oscillations in the cortical-BNST-NAc circuit through auditory synchronization,” he added.
The researchers used the deep-brain stimulation implants to investigate how music affects brain function, specifically how it influences the neural oscillations between the auditory cortex and the BNST-NAc circuit.
The auditory cortex is responsible for processing sensory information like sound, while the BNST-NAc circuit is involved in emotional responses and reward processing. Through their experiments, the team found that classical music works by synchronizing neural oscillations between these two brain areas, which in turn generates antidepressant effects.
To further refine their findings, the researchers divided the 13 patients into two groups based on their levels of music appreciation: a low appreciation group and a high appreciation group.
The results showed that patients in the high music appreciation group experienced more significant neural synchronization and greater antidepressant effects compared to those in the low appreciation group.
This finding is particularly important as it suggest that a person’s individual response to music plays a role in how effective music therapy might be for them. In those who had less initial appreciate for music, the researchers enhanced the brain’s response by adding theta frequency noise into the music. This technique boosted BNST-NAc coupling, increasing their enjoyment of the music and improving their response to the therapy.
The study’s design also took into consideration the potential influence of personal music preferences and familiarity with certain compositions. To minimize this interference, the researchers used pieces of Western classical music that the patients were not familiar with.
As a result, they were able to ensure that the patients’ emotional responses were not influenced by previous associations with the music.
“We concluded that the music choices during the formal listening process were individualized and unrelated to the music’s emotional background,” said Professor Sun.
Looking forward, the research team is exploring the broader potential of music therapy for treating depression. They plan to study how other types of sensory input, such as visual stimuli, might be combined with music to create even more effective treatments.
This interdisciplinary approach, merging neuroscience, psychiatry, and neurosurgery, opens a new possibilities for the treatment of depression. The researchers also plan to collaborate with clinicians, music therapists, and computer scientists to develop digital health products aimed at improving mental health.
“By collaborating with clinicians, music therapists, computer scientists, and engineers, we plan to develop a series of digital health products based on music therapy, such as smartphone applications and wearable devices,” said Professor Sun.
“These products will integrate personalized music recommendations, real-time emotional monitoring and feedback, and virtual-reality multi-sensory experiences to provide convenient and effective self-help tools for managing emotions and improving symptoms in daily life.”
These developments could lead to the creation of self-help tools that provide real-time emotional support, particularly for those battling chronic mental health conditions like depression.
Music therapy has already shown great promise in improving mood and cognitive function, and with these innovations, it could become a practical, accessible solution for millions of people. The fusion of neuroscience, technology, and music in this research not only deepens our understanding of the brain but also points to a future where personalized music therapy could be a powerful tool in mental health care.
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