Music therapy as an adjunct in cardiac device lead extraction procedures: A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Evidence of music therapy as an effective supportive therapy in invasive cardiac procedures is increasing, but more research is needed. AIMS: To evaluate the impact of music therapy on stress responses during cardiac device lead extraction procedures performed in local anaesthesia. METHODS: Sixty-four patients undergoing cardiac implantable electronic device lead extraction at Oslo University Hospital Ulleval from March 2018 to September 2019 were randomized to music therapy (n = 32) or control (n = 32). Primary endpoints were patient satisfaction with pain management and average pain intensity during the procedure. Secondary endpoints were average anxiety intensity, need for analgesic/anxiolytic drugs, blood pressure, heart and respiration rate. RESULTS: All patients in the music therapy group completed the intervention. Patient satisfaction with pain management was 10.00 (8.00, 10.00) in the music therapy vs. 10.00 (9.00, 10.00) in the control group (p = 0.85), and average level of pain 0.89 (0.22, 1.13) vs. 0.96 (0.36, 1.58), respectively (p = 0.38). Average anxiety score was 1.00 (0.33, 2.17) in the music therapy vs 1.67 (0.71, 3.35) in the control group (p = 0.056). The use of analgesic/anxiolytic drugs and physiological parameters were similar across groups. CONCLUSIONS: In this study of music therapy during cardiac device lead extractions, no effect was found on patient satisfaction with pain management or average pain level. A decrease in patient anxiety of borderline significance was observed in the music therapy group. More studies with more sensitive measures of pain and anxiety are needed to determine the value of music therapy in invasive cardiac procedures.

Cognitive-behavioural therapy combined with music therapy for chronic fatigue following Epstein-Barr virus infection in adolescents: a randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) is effective in chronic fatigue (CF) syndrome. However, CBT has not been investigated in postinfectious CF, nor is it known whether addition of therapeutic elements from other disciplines might be useful. We explored combined CBT and music therapy intervention for CF following Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection in adolescents. METHODS: Adolescents (12-20 years old) participating in a postinfectious cohort study who developed CF 6 months after an acute EBV infection were eligible for the present study. A combined CBT and music therapy programme (10 therapy sessions and related homework) was compared with care as usual in a randomised controlled design. Therapists and participants were blinded to outcome evaluation. Endpoints included physical activity (steps/day), symptom scores, recovery rate and possible harmful effects, but the study was underpowered regarding efficacy. Total follow-up time was 15 months. Power analyses suggested that 120 participants would be needed in order to detect a moderate effect size. RESULTS: A total of 91 individuals with postinfectious CF were eligible, and a total of 43 were included (21 intervention group, 22 control group). Concern regarding school absence due to therapy sessions was the main reason for declining participation. Seven individuals left the study during the first 3 months, leaving 15 in the intervention group and 21 in the control group at 3 months follow-up. No harmful effects were recorded, and compliance with appointment was high. In intention-to-treat analyses, the primary endpoint (number of steps/day) did not differ significantly between the intervention group and the control group (difference (95% CI) =-1298 (-4874 to 2278)). Secondary outcome measures were also not significantly different among the two groups. CONCLUSION: An intervention study of combined CBT and music therapy in postinfectious CF is feasible. A fully powered trial is needed to evaluate efficacy; participants' concern regarding school absence should be properly addressed to secure recruitment. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ClinicalTrials ID: NCT02499302, registered July 2015.

Cognitive-behavioural therapy combined with music therapy for chronic fatigue following Epstein-Barr virus infection in adolescents: a feasibility study.

​BACKGROUND: Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) is effective in chronic fatigue syndrome. However, CBT has not been investigated in postinfectious chronic fatigue (CF), nor is it known whether addition of therapeutic elements from other disciplines might be feasible. We studied the feasibility of a combined CBT and music therapy intervention for CF following Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection in adolescents. ​METHODS: Adolescents (12-20 years old) participating in a postinfectious cohort study who developed CF 6 months after an acute EBV infection were eligible for the present feasibility study. A combined CBT and music therapy programme (10 therapy sessions and related homework) was compared with care as usual in a randomised controlled design. Therapists and participants were blinded to outcome evaluation. Endpoints included physical activity (steps/day), symptom scores, recovery rate and possible harmful effects, but the study was underpowered regarding efficacy. Total follow-up time was 15 months. ​RESULTS: A total of 43 individuals with postinfectious CF were included (21 intervention group, 22 control group). Seven individuals left the study during the first 3 months, leaving 15 in the intervention group and 21 in the control group at 3 months' follow-up. No harmful effects were recorded, and compliance with appointment was high. In intention-to-treat analyses, number of steps/day tended to decrease (difference=-1158, 95% CI -2642 to 325), whereas postexertional malaise tended to improve (difference=-0.4, 95% CI -0.9 to 0.1) in the intervention group at 3 months. At 15 months' follow-up, there was a trend towards higher recovery rate in the intervention group (62% vs 37%). ​CONCLUSION: An intervention study of combined CBT and music therapy in postinfectious CF is feasible, and appears acceptable to the participants. The tendencies towards positive effects on patients' symptoms and recovery might justify a full-scale clinical trial. ​TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02499302.

"Telling me not to worry " Hyperscanning and Neural Dynamics of Emotion Processing During Guided Imagery and Music.

To analyze how emotions and imagery are shared, processed and recognized in Guided Imagery and Music, we measured the brain activity of an experienced therapist ("Guide") and client ("Traveler") with dual-EEG in a real therapy session about potential death of family members. Synchronously with the EEG, the session was video-taped and then micro-analyzed. Four raters identified therapeutically important moments of interest (MOI) and no-interest (MONI) which were transcribed and annotated. Several indices of emotion- and imagery-related processing were analyzed: frontal and parietal alpha asymmetry, frontal midline theta, and occipital alpha activity. Session ratings showed overlaps across all raters, confirming the importance of these MOIs, which showed different cortical activity in visual areas compared to resting-state. MOI 1 was a pivotal moment including an important imagery with a message of hope from a close family member, while in the second MOI the Traveler sent a message to an unborn baby. Generally, results seemed to indicate that the emotions of Traveler and Guide during important moments were not positive, pleasurably or relaxed when compared to resting-state, confirming both were dealing with negative emotions and anxiety that had to be contained in the interpersonal process. However, the temporal dynamics of emotion-related markers suggested shifts in emotional valence and intensity during these important, personally meaningful moments; for example, during receiving the message of hope, an increase of frontal alpha asymmetry was observed, reflecting increased positive emotional processing. EEG source localization during the message suggested a peak activation in left middle temporal gyrus. Interestingly, peaks in emotional markers in the Guide partly paralleled the Traveler's peaks; for example, during the Guide's strong feeling of mutuality in MOI 2, the time series of frontal alpha asymmetries showed a significant cross-correlation, indicating similar emotional processing in Traveler and Guide. Investigating the moment-to-moment interaction in music therapy showed how asymmetry peaks align with the situated cognition of Traveler and Guide along the emotional contour of the music, representing the highs and lows during the therapy process. Combining dual-EEG with detailed audiovisual and qualitative data seems to be a promising approach for further research into music therapy.