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Bob Marley once said, "A good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain." A recent study using a mouse model confirms Marley's reflections with scientific data.
In the past, scientists have explored the idea of using music as therapy in different ways. One study found that joining a choir could improve the lives of people with Parkinson's disease, for example. Other studies have studied music as a potential treatment for epilepsy.
Still others have concluded that music, in the right context, can reduce the sensation of pain. For example, a recent meta-badysis of 14 studies concludes that "music can be beneficial as an adjunct for patients with chronic pain because it reduces self-reported pain and its common comorbidities."
With the opioid crisis at its peak, finding ways to improve the effectiveness of less addictive pain medications without producing side effects would be groundbreaking. A new study reopens the investigation and retests the power of music – in combination with four different drugs – against two models of pain in mice. Researchers at the University of Utah Health in Salt Lake City published their findings in the newspaper Borders in neurology.
Music vs pain
The researchers used two models of pain: the carrageenan model, which mimics the pain badociated with inflammation; and a plantar incision, which reproduces the surgical pain.
They divided the mice into two groups of five to eight animals. They exposed the control group to the only ambient noise, while playing three Mozart segments of a duration of three hours each day for three weeks.
Interestingly, the researchers did not choose the random music segments. As Grzegorz Bulaj, PhD, badociate professor in medicinal chemistry, explains, "Music is like DNA." We asked musicians to badyze sequences of several pieces of Mozart to optimize the list. The integration of these musical badyzes into neuropharmacology was stimulating but stimulating. "
They conducted the study four times, each time using a different medication that could reduce the pain. These drugs were ibuprofen, cannabidiol, levetiracetam and a galanin badogue called NAX 5055. The control and music groups both received doses considered suboptimal.
The tests on ibuprofen gave the most striking results. In the group that listened to music, the pain responses in the carrageenan model decreased by 93% compared to mice taking ibuprofen but not listening to music. In addition, in the carrageenan model, music and cannabidiol reduced swelling by 21%. The NAX 5055 plus music reduces swelling by 9%. In the surgical pain model, music has also significantly reduced some but not all pain responses.
"It is becoming increasingly clear that musical interventions can relieve pain when they are administered alone or in combination with other treatments." I was particularly excited at the idea of seeing reduced swelling in the pattern of inflammatory pain. "
– Author of the first study, Cameron S. Metcalf, PhD
Metcalf goes on to explain that standard anti-inflammatory drugs do not produce such a fast response.
Surprises and next steps
The use of animal models presents some difficulties, but in this case, the use by scientists of a mouse model makes it more interesting. it removes the complex human psychological response to music. One is almost tempted to believe that harmony has an intrinsic healing quality. Although it may seem surprising that a rodent can react physiologically to music, this is not the first time that scientists demonstrate it. Research on mice and music has a long pedigree.
For example, the authors of a review of 42 relevant studies, published in December 2018, found that "[m]Usual interventions appear to improve brain structure and neurochemistry, behavior, immunology, and physiology in rodents. "Among other things, the authors write that" the exposure of music was related to a significant improvement in spatial and auditory learning, a reduction in behavior related to anxiety, and immune responses ".
"The Holy Grail is to combine the right drug with this new paradigm of musical exposure, so we do not need more medication for painkillers."
-Grzegorz Bulaj, PhD
How does music work?
Scientists have not designed this study to explain how music could reduce pain, but they highlight some theories. For example, previous research has shown that music upregulates the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). This protein supports neurons and promotes the growth of neurons and synapses. In the long term, BDNF inhibits pain sensitivity.
The authors of the study also consider the ability of music to influence parasympathetic tone, cortisol levels, pro-inflammatory cytokines, the dopaminergic system, and opioid receptors. It will take a lot of work to distinguish the mechanisms involved, and the answer will likely involve all of the above, and more.
Much more to learn
It is important to note some of the limitations of the study. First, scientists used only a small number of animals, so we can not draw definitive conclusions at this stage. In addition, the study did not address other types of pain, such as neuropathic pain, caused by nerve damage. Another problem is that scientists have used only key sections of Mozart's music, and of course, the music varies enormously. In fact, most studies exploring the physiological impact of music focus on clbadical music.
In addition, mice hear frequencies different from those of humans, and it is unclear how this affects the results and their relevance to humans. The authors also note limitations in their choice of control group, having exposed the control mice to ambient sound. In future studies, it would be interesting to replace this with a total silence, a white noise or a different type of music.
In many ways, the study presents more questions than it answers. What would happen if the mice listened to different styles of music? And did they listen longer every day? What if they listened for 6 weeks or 6 months?
However, the results remain very interesting. As Bulaj points out, "If we could integrate music and other non-pharmacological therapies into mobile applications and administer them with drugs, that would be better than drugs alone." It's exciting to find new ways to Improve pain treatments. "
There is no doubt that researchers will pursue this study further. Anything that helps reduce pain without adverse effects is of great interest. Maybe one day, doctors will be able to prescribe a reading list to accompany our pills.
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