Auditory stimulation with Mozart sonata k-448 and heavy metal music improves short-term memory in rats

Joice Anaize Tonon Do Amaral

doi:10.23954/osj.v5i4.2620

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to assess the effect of both classical and heavy metal music on short-term and long-term memory.METHODS: Male rats were separated into three groups: Mozart (n=14), rats were exposed to Mozart´s K-448 piano sonata; Heavy Metal (n=15), rats were exposed to Psychosocial (band: Slipknot), and Control (n=12), rats were exposed to ambient sounds in an acoustically isolated room. The animals were exposed to the music for 8 hours per day, between 10:00 pm to 06:00 am, with an intensity of 50-75 dB, for 61 consecutive days. Twenty-four hours after the final day of adjustment to the enclosure the animals were individually exposed for 5 minutes in the enclosure to explore two identical objects. Ninety minutes after the object recognition training session, the animals were submitted to the short-term memory test and twenty-eight days after the object recognition training session, the animals were submitted to a long-term memory test.RESULTS: There was no modification amongst the three groups during the object recognition training. Regarding the short-term memory test both Mozart (U=33.00, p=0.016, FDR-corrected) and Heavy Metal (U=44.00, p=0.033, FDR-corrected) groups revealed a higher percentage value of significance compared to the control group. In contrast, there was no significant change in relation to the long-term memory test.CONCLUSION: Mozart Sonata K-448 and heavy metal music achieved beneficial effects on the short-term memory in rats.

Highlights

Neuroplasticity may be defined as the capability of the central nervous system (CNS) to remodel itself in response to external stimuli [1]
On the basis of previous research literature, we project that the animals exposed to music would exhibit an improved performance over the control group
We revealed a beneficial effect on the short-term memory in the Heavy Metal group in contrast to the control group

Summary

Introduction

Neuroplasticity may be defined as the capability of the central nervous system (CNS) to remodel itself in response to external stimuli [1] This process triggers behavioral, cellular and molecular alterations in the CNS, resulting in memory formation [2]. Cellular and molecular alterations in different animals [7, 8, 9, 10, 11] and humans [12, 13, 14] These effects are established in peripheral tissues, given that music can cause physiological changes of heart rate, respiratory rate and blood pressure [15]. The authors reported that music has positive effects, which are consistent with studies in humans

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Conclusion