doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.109.192192
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(Circulation. 2009;119:3163-3164.)
© 2009 American Heart Association, Inc.
Clinical Summaries
An extract of the first 250 words of the full text is provided, because this article has no abstract. |
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Dynamic Interactions Between Musical, Cardiovascular, and Cerebral Rhythms in Humans |
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Music therapy is increasingly used in different disciplines, from neurological disease to exercise training; its physiological basis is not well understood, even in normal subjects. We therefore studied responses in young normal subjects (12 practicing musicians and 12 control subjects) to short tracks (in random order) from opera (Puccini, Verdi), a cantata (Bach), and an orchestral piece (Beethoven). We show (counterintuitively) that the structure of a piece of music has a constant dynamic influence on cardiovascular and respiratory responses, which correlate with music profiles. This continuous "mirroring" of music profiles appears to be present in all subjects, regardless of musical training, practice, or personal taste, even in the absence of accompanying emotion. Moreover, we found that some music (particularly by Verdi) has phrasing with similar rhythm (6 cycles/min) to the spontaneous waves in blood pressure (Mayer waves) and other circulatory variables. This entrains spontaneous cardiovascular fluctuations to the music rhythm and modifies cardiovascular control. These findings contrast with the common belief that music appreciation is personal and that cardiovascular reactions to music are secondary to emotional responses. Our findings suggest that music is sensed and processed at a subconscious level, closely mirrored by autonomic cardiovascular responses. These results have clear implications for the practice of music therapy: If music induces similar physiological effects in different subjects, standard therapeutic interventions should be possible. Furthermore, the present findings help advance our understanding of how music can transmit emotions and how music could be used to induce or enhance specific cardiovascular responses in
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