Scale–Free Brain–Wave Music Enhances Resistance to Anxiety by Increasing Theta Oscillations
Poster No:
777
Submission Type:
Abstract Submission
Authors:
Haohan Yang1, Haoyu Bian2, Jiaxian Chen2, Shenxin Hu2, Xinjian Su2, Yan Li2, Jing Lu2
Institutions:
1Yingcai Honors College, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China, 2School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
First Author:
Haohan Yang
Yingcai Honors College, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
Chengdu, Sichuan, China
Yingcai Honors College, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
Chengdu, Sichuan, China
Co-Author(s):
Haoyu Bian
School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
Chengdu, Sichuan, China
School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
Chengdu, Sichuan, China
Jiaxian Chen
School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
Chengdu, Sichuan, China
School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
Chengdu, Sichuan, China
Shenxin Hu
School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
Chengdu, Sichuan, China
School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
Chengdu, Sichuan, China
Xinjian Su
School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
Chengdu, Sichuan, China
School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
Chengdu, Sichuan, China
Yan Li
School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
Chengdu, Sichuan, China
School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
Chengdu, Sichuan, China
Jing Lu
School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
Chengdu, Sichuan, China
School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
Chengdu, Sichuan, China
Introduction:
Music has increasingly been recognized as an effective nonpharmacological approach for mitigating anxiety. (De Witte et al., 2020) Among emerging interventions, scale-free brain-wave music derived from neural activity may enhance anxiety resilience by modulating neural dynamics related to emotional regulation.(Long et al., 2018; Lu et al., 2012) The present study investigates both its capacity to augment anxiety resilience and the underlying neural mechanisms by examining how this auditory stimulus influences theta oscillations in the prefrontal cortex-a critical regulator of anxiety and depressive emotions.(Cavanagh & Shackman, 2015; Zhang et al., 2022) These findings inform the development of noninvasive music-based therapeutic strategies in mental health care.
Methods:
Seventy participants were divided into three groups: the scale-free brain-wave music group (BWM, n = 30), the classical music group (CLA, n = 20), and the control group (CTL, n = 20). Initially, all participants underwent a 10-minute resting-state EEG recording to establish baseline neural activity, followed by an auditory anxiety induction task. Twenty-four hours later, the second phase introduced group-specific auditory conditions during resting-state EEG recording:
•BWM: Listened to scale-free brain-wave music generated from their individual EEG signals recorded in Phase One.
•CLA: Listened to a pre-selected category of conventional music (classical, pop, or folk).
•CTL: Received no auditory stimulation.
State Anxiety (SAI) was measured before and after Phase One, and again in Phase Two following both the resting-state EEG recording and the anxiety-induction task. Trait Anxiety (TAI) was assessed prior to Phase One. Anxiety was induced using multiple rounds of human female screams, as previously validated. (Beaurenaut et al., 2020) All EEG data were preprocessed with EEGLAB (Delorme & Makeig, 2004) and subsequent analyses of power spectral density and functional brain network connectivity were conducted using Brainstorm.(Tadel et al., 2011)
•BWM: Listened to scale-free brain-wave music generated from their individual EEG signals recorded in Phase One.
•CLA: Listened to a pre-selected category of conventional music (classical, pop, or folk).
•CTL: Received no auditory stimulation.
State Anxiety (SAI) was measured before and after Phase One, and again in Phase Two following both the resting-state EEG recording and the anxiety-induction task. Trait Anxiety (TAI) was assessed prior to Phase One. Anxiety was induced using multiple rounds of human female screams, as previously validated. (Beaurenaut et al., 2020) All EEG data were preprocessed with EEGLAB (Delorme & Makeig, 2004) and subsequent analyses of power spectral density and functional brain network connectivity were conducted using Brainstorm.(Tadel et al., 2011)
Results:
Behavioral data confirmed the reliability of the auditory anxiety induction paradigm. As shown in Figure 1a, Wilcoxon tests revealed a significant increase in anxiety following the initial induction (p < 0.0001). During the second induction, participants in the brainwave music (BWM) group exhibited a significantly smaller increase in anxiety compared to the conventional music (CLA) and control (CTL) groups (p < 0.05), indicating that brainwave music enhances anxiety resistance more effectively than conventional music.
Neural analyses of resting-state data before and after the experiments showed that brainwave music modulates prefrontal theta activity. The BWM group demonstrated increased theta power in the prefrontal cortex (Figure 2a) and enhanced functional connectivity with other brain regions in the theta band (Figure 2b). Correlation analyses revealed that increases in both power spectral density (PSD) and coherence were significantly associated with improvements in anxiety resistance (p = 0.003, r = 0.52; p = 0.004, r = 0.50).
Neural analyses of resting-state data before and after the experiments showed that brainwave music modulates prefrontal theta activity. The BWM group demonstrated increased theta power in the prefrontal cortex (Figure 2a) and enhanced functional connectivity with other brain regions in the theta band (Figure 2b). Correlation analyses revealed that increases in both power spectral density (PSD) and coherence were significantly associated with improvements in anxiety resistance (p = 0.003, r = 0.52; p = 0.004, r = 0.50).
Conclusions:
This study demonstrates that scale-free brainwave music effectively reduces experimentally induced anxiety, as evidenced by significantly lower increases in anxiety compared to other conditions. These findings extend prior work associating prefrontal theta-band activity with emotional regulation (Cavanagh & Shackman, 2015; Zhang et al., 2022) ,indicating that modulating theta oscillations and enhancing functional connectivity can foster emotional resilience.
These insights advance our understanding of the neural basis of anxiety resistance and underscore the therapeutic potential of brainwave music. Future research employing multimodal approaches may further elucidate its underlying mechanisms and inform interventions for mood disorders.
These insights advance our understanding of the neural basis of anxiety resistance and underscore the therapeutic potential of brainwave music. Future research employing multimodal approaches may further elucidate its underlying mechanisms and inform interventions for mood disorders.
Higher Cognitive Functions:
Music 1
Novel Imaging Acquisition Methods:
EEG 2
Keywords:
Anxiety
Electroencephaolography (EEG)
Emotions
Hearing
Other - music
1|2Indicates the priority used for review
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Cavanagh, J. F., & Shackman, A. J. (2015). Frontal midline theta reflects anxiety and cognitive control: meta-analytic evidence. Journal of physiology-Paris, 109(1-3), 3-15.
De Witte, M., Spruit, A., van Hooren, S., Moonen, X., & Stams, G. J. (2020). Effects of music interventions on stress-related outcomes: a systematic review and two meta-analyses. Health psychology review, 14(2), 294-324.
Delorme, A., & Makeig, S. (2004). EEGLAB: an open source toolbox for analysis of single-trial EEG dynamics including independent component analysis. Journal of neuroscience methods, 134(1), 9-21.
Long, S., Zang, W., Guo, S., Lu, J., & Yao, D. (2018). A Study on the effect of modulating the quality of sleep by brainwave music. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 131, S113.
Lu, J., Wu, D., Yang, H., Luo, C., Li, C., & Yao, D. (2012). Scale-free brain-wave music from simultaneously EEG and fMRI recordings. PloS one, 7(11), e49773.
Spielberger, C. D., Gonzalez-Reigosa, F., Martinez-Urrutia, A., Natalicio, L. F., & Natalicio, D. S. (1971). The state-trait anxiety inventory. Revista Interamericana de Psicologia/Interamerican journal of psychology, 5(3 & 4).
Tadel, F., Baillet, S., Mosher, J. C., Pantazis, D., & Leahy, R. M. (2011). Brainstorm: A user‐friendly application for MEG/EEG analysis. Computational intelligence and neuroscience, 2011(1), 879716.
Zhang, Y., Lei, L., Liu, Z., Gao, M., Liu, Z., Sun, N., ... & Zhang, K. (2022). Theta oscillations: A rhythm difference comparison between major depressive disorder and anxiety disorder. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13, 827536.