Mental Health Implications of Music: Insight from Neuroscientific and Clinical Studies

Abstract

Neuroscientific and clinical studies of music over the past two decades have substantially increased our understanding of its use as a means of therapy. The authors briefly review current literature related to music's effect on people with different mental illnesses, and examine several neurobiological theories that may explain its effectiveness or lack thereof in treating psychiatric disorders. Neuroscientific studies have shown music to be an agent capable of influencing complex neurobiological processes in the brain and suggest that it can potentially play an important role in treatment. Clinical studies provide some evidence that music therapy can be used as an alternative therapy in treating depression, autism, schizophrenia, and dementia, as well as problems of agitation, anxiety, sleeplessness, and substance misuse, though whether it can actually replace other modes of treatment remains undetermined. Future research should include translational studies involving both neuroscience and clinical medicine that investigate the long-term effects of music intervention and that lead to the development of new strategies for music therapy.

Music Reduces Panic: An Initial Study of Listening to Preferred Music Improves Male Patient Discomfort and Anxiety During Flexible Cystoscopy

“…In recent years, music has been advocated as a therapeutic method to manage patients' pain and anxiety. 5 The study by Lin and associates 6 had confirmed that patients' spiritual, emotional, and psychological feelings could be satisfied by music intervention, and music engagement became more and more popular in perioperative care as an adjuvant therapy. 7 To our knowledge, there has been no research on reducing paitents' discomfort and anxiety during flexible cystoscopy by music intervention.…”

Current status of music therapy for schizophrenic patients

“…[10]. It is also applicable to people with schizophrenia, who are suffering from insomnia; listening to music before going to bed improved patients' sleeping qualities [11].…”

Risque suicidaire et préférences musicales : y a-t-il un lien ?

“…L'écoute musicale permettrait une amélioration à court terme de l'humeur, plus grande que celle obtenue via le seul usage du traitement standard de la dépression. La musique aurait donc des effets psychophysiologiques positifs chez les patients déprimés (Lin et al, 2011). L'activité électroencéphalographique (Field et al, 1998), la séroto-nine (Evers et Suhr, 2000) et le facteur neurotrophique dérivé du cerveau (BDNF) dans l'hippocampe (Chikahisa et al, 2006 ;Angelucci et al, 2007), pourraient être impliqués dans les mécanismes biologiques soustendant l'effet thérapeutique de l'écoute musicale dans la dépression.…”