BACKGROUND: Stress in surgeons is well-known for its negative impact on neurocognition and surgical performance. Surgeons commonly use music for stress reduction, but its specific effects on neurosurgeons remain unclear. This study aims to investigate how listening to music during microsurgery affects neurocognitive functions, subjective anxiety, and stress levels in neurosurgeons.
METHODS: Conducted in two phases, the pilot phase involved 23 neurosurgeons completing a survey and rating compositions based on ragas of North Indian/Hindustani classical music for suitability during surgery. Five excerpts were selected for the main phase, which involved three neurosurgeons performing 16 surgeries, eight with and eight without music. Data collection included pre-surgery assessments of sleep, caffeine intake, subjective stress levels, perceived complexity of the surgery that was to be performed, and neurocognitive tasks. Post-surgery subjective stress levels, actual complexity, and surgeon experiences with music were recorded.
RESULTS: While there was a trend toward reduced stress and perceived complexity with music, statistical significance was not reached. Neurocognitive tasks showed non-significant improvement with music, with a significant (at p < 0.001) speed-accuracy trade-off noted in response inhibition.
CONCLUSIONS: Music appears to reduce subjective stress and task complexity, influencing neurocognition, particularly through speed-accuracy trade-offs. Further research is needed to understand its mechanisms and appropriate contexts for use before widespread recommendation.

Music is ubiquitous, both in its instrumental and vocal forms. While speech perception at birth has been at the core of an extensive corpus of research, the origins of the ability to discriminate instrumental or vocal melodies is still not well investigated. In previous studies comparing vocal and musical perception, the vocal stimuli were mainly related to speaking, including language, and not to the non-language singing voice. In the present study, to better compare a melodic instrumental line with the voice, we used singing as a comparison stimulus, to reduce the dissimilarities between the two stimuli as much as possible, separating language perception from vocal musical perception. In the present study, 45 newborns were scanned, 10 full-term born infants and 35 preterm infants at term-equivalent age (mean gestational age at test = 40.17 weeks, SD = 0.44) using functional magnetic resonance imaging while listening to five melodies played by a musical instrument (flute) or sung by a female voice. To examine the dynamic task-based effective connectivity, we employed a psychophysiological interaction of co-activation patterns (PPI-CAPs) analysis, using the auditory cortices as seed region, to investigate moment-to-moment changes in task-driven modulation of cortical activity during an fMRI task. Our findings reveal condition-specific, dynamically occurring patterns of co-activation (PPI-CAPs). During the vocal condition, the auditory cortex co-activates with the sensorimotor and salience networks, while during the instrumental condition, it co-activates with the visual cortex and the superior frontal cortex. Our results show that the vocal stimulus elicits sensorimotor aspects of the auditory perception and is processed as a more salient stimulus while the instrumental condition activated higher-order cognitive and visuo-spatial networks. Common neural signatures for both auditory stimuli were found in the precuneus and posterior cingulate gyrus. Finally, this study adds knowledge on the dynamic brain connectivity underlying the newborns capability of early and specialized auditory processing, highlighting the relevance of dynamic approaches to study brain function in newborn populations.

Vibration and sound are the shaping matrix of the entire universe. Everything in nature is shaped by energy vibrating and communicating through its own sound trail. Every cell within our body vibrates at defined frequencies, generating its peculiar \"sound signature\". Mitochondria are dynamic, energy-transforming, biosynthetic, and signaling organelles that actively transduce biological information. Novel research has shown that the mitochondrial function of mammalian cells can be modulated by various energetic stimuli, including sound vibrations. Regarding acoustic vibrations, definite types of music have been reported to produce beneficial impacts on human health. In very recent studies, the effects of different sound stimuli and musical styles on cellular function and mitochondrial activity were evaluated and compared in human cells cultured in vitro, investigating the underlying responsible molecular mechanisms. This narrative review will take a multilevel trip from macro to intracellular microenvironment, discussing the intimate vibrational sound activities shaping living matter, delving deeper into the molecular mechanisms underlying the sound modulation of biological systems, and mainly focusing our discussion on novel evidence showing the competence of mitochondria in acting as energy portals capable of sensing and transducing the subtle informational biofields of sound vibration.

Participation in group activities such as choirs has been shown to have positive effects on emotional health and overall well-being. Inclusive choirs, which integrate individuals of various abilities and diverse backgrounds, provide a unique space for social interaction, emotional expression, and inclusion. This study aims to explore the impact of participation in an inclusive choir on the emotional health of its members, identifying both positive and negative emotional impacts as well as personal experiences derived from their participation. This longitudinal exploratory study combines participant observation, field notes, focus groups, and questionnaires to gain a deep understanding of the participant\'s emotional experiences through their narratives. The study was conducted in an inclusive choir located in a medium-sized city in Spain, which brings together people of various ages, genders, abilities, and cultural backgrounds. The results indicated that most participants experienced significant improvements in their emotional well-being, including increased self-esteem, a greater sense of belonging, and reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression. Participants also reported that the choir provided a safe space for emotional expression and the building of meaningful relationships. Participation in an inclusive choir can have a considerable positive impact on the emotional health of its members.

Functional diversity-i.e., the diversity of morphophysiological characteristics of species in a biological community-revolutionized ecology in recent decades, shifting the focus of the field from species to ecosystems. While its ecological applications are known, its adaptability to other disciplines, specifically music, is explored here. We retrieved fourteen characteristics of 12,944 songs by the top 100 artists of the 2010s decade on four streaming platforms. Then, we calculated the three main components of functional diversity-richness, evenness, and divergence-to each artist using probabilistic hypervolumes. Furthermore, we investigated to what extent functional diversity and the traits of an artist, its albums and songs has an effect on their popularity across streaming platforms such as Spotify. High functional richness, where an artist\'s songs differ greatly sonically, correlated with increased listens of up to 244,300,000. This would lead to estimated profit earnings exceeding $1,000,000 per richness gain. Danceable, highly-energetic, melodic, pop, and, notably, melancholic songs, albums, and artists are more listened to than their counterparts in streaming services. We captured how patterns in human song might reflects the social state of human societies in recent years and demonstrate the potential of applying functional diversity concepts and tools across scientific and economic domains, extending its relevance beyond ecology. By demonstrating applications of state-of-the-art functional diversity metrics using music as a case study, we intent to communicate the often-complex concepts of functional diversity using the familiar realm of music, which is an intrinsic trait of human cultures across the globe.

UNASSIGNED: Recent research has shown beneficial results for music-based interventions (MBIs) for persons living with Alzheimer\'s disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD), but reports often lack sufficient detail about the MBI methodology, which reduces replicability. A detailed checklist for best practices in how to report MBIs was created in 2011 by Robb and colleagues to remedy the lack of detail in MBI descriptions. The implementation of the checklist specifically in AD/ADRD research has not been established. Given the complexity of music and the variety of uses for research and health, specific MBI descriptions are necessary for rigorous replication and validation of study results.
UNASSIGNED: This systematic mapping review utilized the \"Checklist for Reporting Music-Based Interventions\" to evaluate the current state of MBI descriptive specificity in AD/ADRD research.
UNASSIGNED: Research articles testing MBIs and reviews of MBI efficacy published between January 2015 and August 2023 were scored using the checklist and the results were summarized.
UNASSIGNED: Forty-eight studies were screened, and reporting was inconsistent across the 11 checklist criteria. Ten out of 48 studies fully reported more than 5 of the 11 criteria. Only one of the 11 scoring criteria was at least partially reported across 47 of 48 studies.
UNASSIGNED: Thorough reporting of intervention detail for MBIs remains limited in AD/ADRD MBI research. This impedes study validation, replication, and slows the progress of research and potential application of music in practice. Greater implementation of the reporting guidelines provided by Robb and colleagues would move the field of MBI research for AD/ADRD forward more quickly and efficiently.

UNASSIGNED: Personalized dance-based movement therapies may improve cognitive and motor function in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a precursor to Alzheimer\'s disease. While age- and MCI-related deficits reduce individuals\' abilities to perform dance-like rhythmic movement sequences (RMS)-spatial and temporal modifications to movement-it remains unclear how individuals\' relationships to dance and music affect their ability to perform RMS.
UNASSIGNED: Characterize associations between RMS performance and music or dance relationships, as well as the ability to perceive rhythm and meter (rhythmic proficiency) in adults with and without MCI.
UNASSIGNED: We used wearable inertial sensors to evaluate the ability of 12 young adults (YA; age = 23.9±4.2 years; 9F), 26 older adults without MCI (OA; age = 68.1±8.5 years; 16F), and 18 adults with MCI (MCI; age = 70.8±6.2 years; 10F) to accurately perform spatial, temporal, and spatiotemporal RMS. To quantify self-reported music and dance relationships and rhythmic proficiency, we developed Music (MRQ) and Dance Relationship Questionnaires (DRQ), and a rhythm assessment (RA), respectively. We correlated MRQ, DRQ, and RA scores against RMS performance for each group separately.
UNASSIGNED: The OA and YA groups exhibited better MRQ and RA scores than the MCI group (p < 0.006). Better MRQ and RA scores were associated with better temporal RMS performance for only the YA and OA groups (r2 = 0.18-0.41; p < 0.045). DRQ scores were not associated with RMS performance in any group.
UNASSIGNED: Cognitive deficits in adults with MCI likely limit the extent to which music relationships or rhythmic proficiency improve the ability to perform temporal aspects of movements performed during dance-based therapies.

UNASSIGNED: Understanding the nature and extent of sensorimotor decline in aging individuals and those with neurocognitive disorders (NCD), such as Alzheimer\'s disease, is essential for designing effective music-based interventions. Our understanding of rhythmic functions remains incomplete, particularly in how aging and NCD affect sensorimotor synchronization and adaptation to tempo changes.
UNASSIGNED: This study aimed to investigate how aging and NCD severity impact tapping to metronomes and music, with and without tempo changes.
UNASSIGNED: Patients from a memory clinic participated in a tapping task, synchronizing with metronomic and musical sequences, some of which contained sudden tempo changes. After exclusions, 51 patients were included in the final analysis.
UNASSIGNED: Participants\' Mini-Mental State Examination scores were associated with tapping consistency. Additionally, age negatively influenced consistency when synchronizing with a musical beat, whereas consistency remained stable across age when tapping with a metronome.
UNASSIGNED: The results indicate that the initial decline of attention and working memory with age may impact perception and synchronization to a musical beat, whereas progressive NCD-related cognitive decline results in more widespread sensorimotor decline, affecting tapping irrespective of audio type. These findings underline the importance of customizing rhythm-based interventions to the needs of older adults and individuals with NCD, taking into consideration their cognitive as well as their rhythmic aptitudes.

This paper explored the effectiveness of ensemble performance on the development of adolescent\'s life skills. An explorative qualitative study investigated young musicians\' self-perception about the benefits and challenges of learning and playing music together. A convenience sampling technique was adopted for interviewing 15 adolescents (12-18 years old) who participated in a long-term music education programme led by a charity in the North-West of England. The data were analysed using NVivo, employing a thematic analysis approach. Two main themes emerged from the analyses: (1) the main benefits of playing and learning in an ensemble: the development of music and life skills; (2) the challenges experienced by the musicians learning in the ensemble. The findings suggest that participants were conscious of the positive effects of playing in an ensemble on their lives. This extended beyond merely learning a musical instrument, i.e. acquiring music skills. In particular, young musicians recognised they had developed greater self-confidence and cognitive skills such as critical thinking and self-awareness. Primarily, they developed effective communication and interpersonal skills. At the same time, these young musicians recognised they had to face challenges related to the process of learning music in an ensemble, such as managing emotions of frustration and adapting to different music learning styles and techniques. Finally, suggestions are made for the implementation and evaluation of future projects to explore the impact and effectiveness of classical music programmes, with a particular emphasis on ensemble-based initiatives and their influence on life skills.

BACKGROUND: The role of patients in healthcare research is slowly evolving, although patient roles in the research process are limited. This paper reports on a patient-led research project aiming to develop a musical hearing training programme for patients with a cochlear implant (CI): the Musi-CI programme. A CI is an inner ear prosthesis that allows people with severe hearing loss to hear. However, while speech can be understood, CI users cannot fully enjoy music or feel aversion to it. The Musi-CI programme aims to reduce this music aversion to ultimately improve music enjoyment and social participation. The development of the Musi-CI programme was supported by a consortium of professionals in CI rehabilitation and research. The aim of this paper is to describe and evaluate the Musi-CI programme development process and its impact on professional CI rehabilitation and research.
METHODS: Programme development was described using a 3-layered process model of action research, distinguishing the CI user process, the healthcare professional process and the research process. To evaluate perceptions on the programme development process, consortium partners provided written comments and participated in a reflexive evaluation session that was video-recorded. Reflexive evaluation aims for collective learning and strengthening collaboration among participants. Written comments and video data were analysed using template analysis.
RESULTS: The involvement of an expert by experience was perceived as challenging but rewarding for all consortium partners, opening up new perspectives on CI-rehabilitation practice and research. Data analysis revealed two themes on the programme development process, professional space and acknowledgement, and two themes on the outcomes on CI rehabilitation and research: critical reflection and paradigm shift.
CONCLUSIONS: Experts by experience represent a different knowledge domain that may contribute to change in rehabilitation and research.
UNASSIGNED: The development of the programme was initiated by a professional musician and CI user who organized the funding, had a leading role throughout the research process, including the write-up of the results, and co-authored this paper.