Does listening to classical music make you feel sublime?

A new study suggests there might be a scientific reason for that: Researchers discovered that the music lifts a person’s mood by improving connections between brain regions related to both sound and pleasure.

How? Music synchronizes brain waves between the auditory cortes, which processes sound, and the rewards circuit that processes emotional information, according to findings published Aug. 9 in the journal Cell Reports.

The study focused on a brain circuit connecting two areas of the forebrain — the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) and the nucleus accumbens (NAc)

A group of 13 patients with treatment-resistant depression already had electrodes implanted in this circuit for the purpose of deep-brain stimulation, researchers explained.

“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 senior researcher Dr. Bomin Sun, director of the Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s Center for Functional Neurosurgery.

In the study, patients listened to the third movement of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, “representing joy and excitement,” researchers wrote in their paper.

Electrode scans revealed that the music boosted the flow of brain waves through this circuit, researchers reported.

They also found that altering the music slightly could improve the patients’ response to it.

For example, inserting low-frequency theta noise into music increased patient’s reported enjoyment, results showed.

Theta frequency sounds are associated with the lightest stage of sleep and can induce a meditative effect, according to the Sleep Foundation.

The research team next plans to study the interaction between music and the deep structures of the brain. They also want to introduce other sensory stimuli, including visual imagery.

“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,” Sun said in a journal news release.

“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,” Sun added.

More information

The Sleep Foundation has more on theta waves and binaural beats.

SOURCE: Cell Press, news release, Aug. 9, 2024

Source: HealthDay

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