Influence of music on steroid hormones and the relationship between receptor polymorphisms and musical ability: a pilot study

Abstract

Studies have shown that music confers plasticity to the brain. In a preliminary pilot study, we examined the effect of music listening on steroid hormones and the relationship between steroid hormone receptor polymorphisms and musical ability. Twenty-one subjects (10 males and 11 females) were recruited and divided into musically talented and control groups. The subjects selected (1) music they preferred (chill-inducing music) and (2) music they did not like. Before and after the experiments, saliva was collected to measure the levels of steroid hormones such as testosterone, estradiol, and cortisol. DNA was also isolated from the saliva samples to determine the androgen receptor (AR) and arginine vasopressin receptor 1A genotypes. Advanced Measures of Music Audiation (AMMA) was used to determine the musical ability of the subjects. With both types of music, the cortisol levels decreased significantly in both sexes. The testosterone (T) levels declined in males when they listened to both types of music. In females, the T levels increased in those listening to chill-inducing music but declined when they listened to music they disliked. However, these differences were not significant. The 17-beta estradiol levels increased in males with both types of music, whereas the levels increased with chill-inducing music but declined with disliked music in females. The AMMA scores were higher for the short repeat length-type AR than for the long repeat length-type. Comparisons of AR polymorphisms and T levels before the experiments showed that the T levels were within the low range in the short repeat length-type group and there was a positive relationship with the repeat length, although it was not significant. This is the first study conducted in humans to analyze the relationships between the AR gene, T levels, and musical ability.

Sexual arousal and rhythmic synchronization: A possible effect of vasopressin

“…Such differences affect steroid hormones such as testosterone [25][26][27], estradiol [27], cortisol [28], and perhaps prolactin [29].…”

Music and Biomarkers of Stress: A Systematic Review

“…In 2013, Fukui et al examined the difference in testosterone levels in men and women during ML. Testosterone levels in women increased with chill-inducing music and decreased with music they disliked, whereas testosterone levels decreased in men with both types [21]. However, one study examining the effects of Guided Imagery and Music (GIM) on biopsychosocial measures of work-related stress, found no significant difference when comparing testosterone levels in the GIM group and the wait list control group (p=0.93) [14].…”

“…Reviewed studies included 4 main music interventions: A) Music Listening (ML, 10 studies) is the active or passive action of listening to vocal and/or instrumental sounds combined and organized by using rhythm, melody or harmony [6,13,[19][20][21][22][23][24][25]27]. B) Meditational Music (MM, 3 studies) combines elements of mindfulness meditation, yoga movements and relaxation with music, using repetitive rhythmic sequences [15,18,26].…”

“…Cortisol: Three studies showed a statistically significant decrease in cortisol (salivary cortisol) in the Music Listening (ML) intervention when compared to Meditational Music (MM) p=0.022 [19], p=0.003, [24], and p=0.025 [27]. Four additional controlled studies involving the ML intervention also showed a significant decrease in Cortisol levels, with p<0.02, p=0.0029, p=0.0035, and p<0.05 respectively [6,20,21,23]. One study comparing singing and ML [16] found that ML, led to a decrease in Cortisol (p<0.001).…”

“…Testosterone: Three studies investigated how listening to music affected Testosterone plasma levels [6,14,21]. Sex-related differences in Testosterone secretion when listening to music were shown in two studies [6,21]. In 2003, Fukui et al found that ML intervention decreased testosterone in males (p=.0460) and increased its levels in females (p=.0012) [6].…”