More and more studies are highlighting the physical and psychological benefits of music. From its ability to increase productivity to its ability to elicit physical responses in listeners, Music has a significant impact on people, including improving mood and state of mind..
This was revealed by new research carried out at the Center for Functional Neurosurgery at Shanghai Jiao Tong University (China), and published in the journal Cell Reportswhich showed that music can generate a “sense of well-being” and improve people’s emotional health.
The reason for this study was Finding practical ways to use music as a tool to help people with depression resistant to conventional treatments“We hope to translate our research findings into clinical practice by developing convenient and effective music therapy tools and applications,” said Bomin Sun, director and professor at the institution and one of the principal authors of the study.
How was the study conducted?
The research was carried out with 23 patients with treatment-resistant depression (TDR), who had electrodes implanted in their brains to carry out deep stimulation and take precise metrics.
These devices were inserted into a circuit that connected two parts of the organ: the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) and the nucleus accumbens (NAc)brain regions that play a key role in regulating emotions and rewards.
The study demonstrated for the first time how neural waves generated in the brain cortex synchronize with the reward circuitwhich processes pleasurable emotions, when someone with depression hears classical music.
The patients were subjected to listening to classical compositions (Beethoven/Tchaikovsky) and underwent electroencephalograms. In no case were they played pieces that they knew they liked or disliked or that had any particular meaning.
Results and conclusions
To a greater or lesser extent, all participants began to synchronize their cortex waves auditory and information processing (BNST-NAc circuit) with those of the reward circuit.
However, the effects were more noticeable among those who They regularly enjoy classical musicThis suggests that there is no specific style of music that works magic on the brain and emotions, but rather it has to do with taste.
“The improvement of depressive symptoms It was not linked to the emotion of the music itself, but with the patient’s level of musical enjoyment,” Sun explained. That is, while music can help treat depression, The results will be better if the music is to the patient’s liking..
