Different Frequencies of Music on Blood Pressure Regulation

Neuroscience Letters, Volume 487, Issue 1, 3 January 2011, Pages 58-60

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304394010013121

Effect of different frequencies of music on blood pressure regulation in spontaneously hypertensive rats

Authors: Akiyama K, Sutoo D

Affiliations: Institute of Medical Science, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8575, Japan

Abstract:
The effect of different frequencies of music on brain function was investigated through measurement of blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Previous studies indicated that exposure to Mozart’s music (K. 205) leads to increased calcium/calmodulin-dependent dopamine synthesis in the brain, and that the subsequent increase in dopamine reduces blood pressure via D2 receptors. The present study demonstrated that the blood pressure-reducing response was dependent on the frequency, and was markedly greater at 4k–16k Hz compared with lower frequencies. These findings suggest that music containing high-frequency sounds stimulates dopamine synthesis, and might thereby regulate and/or affect various brain functions.

Keywords: Music therapy; High-frequency sound; Improvement in hypertension; blood pressure