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Completed

NCT Number: NCT05267795

Reducing Pain With Focused Music Listening

Pain-reducing effects of music listening are well-established, but the effects are small and their clinical relevance questionable. Recent theoretical advances, however, have proposed that synchronizing to music, such as clapping, tapping or dancing, has evolutionarily important social effects that are associated with activation of the endogenous opioid system (EOS; which supports both analgesia and social bonding). Thus, active sensorimotor synchronization to music could have stronger analgesic effects than simply listening to music. However, to the best of the investigators' knowledge, the hypothesis of an EOS activation by sensorimotor synchronization to music has never been investigated. Accordingly, the investigators set up a test with the premise that if sensorimotor synchronization to music indeed activates the EOS, then it should have larger pain-reducing effects than simply listening to music. Using pressure algometry to the fingernails, specific amounts of pain were delivered to healthy adults either during music listening or silence, while either performing an active tapping task or a passive control task. As the dependent variable, perceived pain was rated on a scale ranging from 1 to 9 (1 = very little, 5 = medium, 9 = very strong). In addition, to pain ratings, participants provided ratings of their emotional state in terms of pleasantness as well as arousal, and then rated their familiarity with the music (also on scales ranging from 1 to 9). Emotion ratings were obtained to explore whether the mechanisms driving pain-reducing effects of sensorimotor synchronization to music include emotion. At the end of the experiment, participants also rated their preference for the music on a scale ranging from 1 to 9 (see Method). Familiarity and preference ratings were obtained to elucidate possible contributions of these factors on pain reduction.

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Key information

Conditions

Pain Neurologic Manifestations Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms

Age range

19 year–35 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

University of Bergen

Bergen, Bergen Municipality, 5020, Norway

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • 18 years or older
  • Healthy

Exclusion criteria

  • History of a psychiatric or neurological disease
  • History of substance dependence
  • use of any prescription drugs
  • Hearing impairment
  • Musical anhedonia

Treatment and study plan

Experimentally-induced pain

Behavioral

Specific pain levels were applied on the participants' fingernails in each of 40 experimental trials using pressure algometry.

Primary outcomes

  1. Perceived Pain

    Time frame: 40 minutes (duration of time over which each participant is assessed)

    rated on a scale ranging from 1 to 9 (1 = very little, 5 = medium, 9 = very strong)

  2. Emotional state with regard to felt pleasantness

    Time frame: 40 minutes (duration of time over which each participant is assessed)

    rated on a scale ranging from 1 to 9 (1 = very uncomfortable, 5 = medium, 9 = very comfortable)

  3. Emotional state with regard to felt arousal

    Time frame: 40 minutes (duration of time over which each participant is assessed)

    rated on a scale ranging from 1 to 9 (1 = very calm, 5 = medium, 9 = very activated)

  4. Familiarity with the music excerpt (only during trials with music)

    Time frame: 40 minutes (duration of time over which each participant is assessed)

    rated on a scale ranging from 1 to 9 (1 = not at all, 5 = partially known, 9 = well known)

  5. Preference ratings for each musical excerpt

    Time frame: 5 min (duration of time over which each participant is assessed)

    rated on a scale ranging from 1 to 9 (1 = strongly disliked, 5 = medium, 9 = strongly liked)

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Bergen

Other

Collaborators

  • The Research Council of Norway

Registry information

Official study title

Reducing Pain Thresholds Using a Focused Music Listening Technique

Acronym: PainMusic

Important dates

Study start
2019
Primary completion
2020
Study completion
2020
First posted
Mar 4, 2022
Registry last updated
Mar 4, 2022

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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