Abstract
Activations to pleasant and unpleasant musical stimuli were observed within an extensive neuronal network and different brain structures, as well as in the processing of the syntactic and semantic aspects of the music. Previous studies evidenced a correlation between autonomic activity and emotion evoked by music listening in patients with Disorders of Consciousness (DoC). In this study, we analyzed retrospectively the autonomic response to musical stimuli by mean of normalized units of Low Frequency (nuLF) and Sample Entropy (SampEn) of Heart Rate Variability (HRV) parameters, and their possible correlation to the different complexity of four musical samples (i.e., Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky, Grieg, and Boccherini) in Healthy subjects and Vegetative State/Unresponsive Wakefulness Syndrome (VS/UWS) patients. The complexity of musical sample was based on Formal Complexity and General Dynamics parameters defined by Imberty's semiology studies. The results showed a significant difference between the two groups for SampEn during the listening of Mussorgsky's music and for nuLF during the listening of Boccherini and Mussorgsky's music. Moreover, the VS/UWS group showed a reduction of nuLF as well as SampEn comparing music of increasing Formal Complexity and General Dynamics. These results put in evidence how the internal structure of the music can change the autonomic response in patients with DoC. Further investigations are required to better comprehend how musical stimulation can modify the autonomic response in DoC patients, in order to administer the stimuli in a more effective way.
Highlights
Music listening is one of the most pleasurable experiences for the human being (Dube and Le Bel, 2003)
The aim of this study was to verify the influence of the musical stimuli complexity on the autonomic responses in Vegetative State/Unresponsive Wakefulness Syndrome (VS/UWS) patients, by the Heart Rate Variability (HRV) normalized units of Low Frequency (nuLF) and Sample Entropy (SampEn) parameters analysis during the listening of the first 3 min of the selected musical samples
The values of nuLF were found different between groups for Grieg (Mann-Whitney’s exact test: Z = −2.887, p = 0.001, r = 0.58) and Mussorgsky’s music (Mann-Whitney’s exact test: Z = −3.170, p = 0.000, r = 0.63), while after Bonferroni correction, SampEn was found different only for Mussorgsky’s music (Mann-Whitney’s exact test: Z = −3.453 p = 0.000, r = 0.69)
Summary
Music listening is one of the most pleasurable experiences for the human being (Dube and Le Bel, 2003). By mean of the exposure to musical pieces in everyday life, listeners acquire sensitivity to the regularities of the tonal system (Tillmann, 2005). This knowledge creates expectancy in the listeners, with experience of tension, suspense or relaxation, when the rules are confirmed, or violated (Meyer, 2008; Ockelford, 2008). Activations to pleasant and unpleasant musical stimuli were observed within an extensive. Activations in the ventral striatum, anterior superior insula, and in Rolandic operculum were observed in healthy subjects, during the listening of pleasant music (Koelsch et al, 2006). Inferior frontolateral cortex, ventrolateral premotor cortex, and anterior part of the superior temporal gyrus were found active in the processing of musical syntax, whereas the processing of musical semantics appears to activate posterior temporal regions (Koelsch, 2005)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
