Musical Medicine

Music as medicine?!

This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.

Has a song ever moved you to tears? Music’s emotional impact has inspired researchers from Shanghai to explore its potential to treat depression.

They focused on its ability to activate brain circuits connected to emotion and reward. Twenty-three patients with depression participated by listening to classical music. Electrodes implanted deep in their brains tracked their brain activity.

When patients enjoyed the music, mood-related brain areas synced up. For those needing a little extra boost, researchers enhanced the rhythm, which further strengthened brain connectivity and improved mood survey scores by twenty percent.

Imagine a playlist designed to sync with your brain’s rhythms, lifting your spirits… and shaking your booty! Now that’s worth tuning into! But no ads please.


Reference: Lv, X., Wang, Y., Zhang, Y. et al. Auditory entrainment coordinates cortical-BNST-NAc triple time locking to alleviate the depressive disorder. Cell Reports,114474 (2024). doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114474