It is widely documented that music influences mood. Now, a new study has gone further and shown that classical music has positive effects on the brain, a finding that could be used to help patients with treatment-resistant depression.
The study, led by Chinese researchers and published in the journal Cell Reports, has analyzed the neurological effect of music composed by Western composers such as Bach, Beethoven or Mozart and has demonstrated through brain wave measurements and neuroimaging techniques that these compositions have positive effects on the brain.
The study involved thirteen patients with treatment-resistant depression who had already had electrodes implanted in their brains for deep brain stimulation purposes.
Using these implants, the team found that Music generates its antidepressant effects synchronizing neural oscillations between the auditory cortex (responsible for processing sensory information) and the reward circuit (processes emotional information).
The study used several pieces of Western classical music – a type of music with which most participants were unfamiliar – to avoid any interference that might arise from subjective familiarity.
“From now on, in collaboration 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 Bomin Sun, director and professor of the Center for Functional Neurosurgery at Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
