Acute relaxation during pregnancy leads to a reduction in maternal electrodermal activity and self-reported stress levels.

BACKGROUND: Prenatal maternal stress can have adverse effects on birth outcomes and fetal development. Relaxation techniques have been examined as potential countermeasures. This study investigates different relaxation techniques and their effect on self-reported stress levels and physiological stress levels in pregnant women. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 38 pregnant women in their 30th to 40th gestational week were assigned to one of three, 20-min lasting relaxation groups: listening to music (N = 12), following a guided imagery (N = 12) or resting (N = 12). The intervention, i.e., acute relaxation (music, guided imagery or resting) took place once for each study participant. Study inclusion criteria were age over 18 years, German speaking, singleton and uncomplicated pregnancy during the 30th and 40th week of gestation. The stress levels were determined during the study. Current stress level during the study was assessed by a visual analogue scale. Chronic stress levels were assessed by the Trier Inventory of Chronic Stress and the Pregnancy Distress questionnaire. Multivariate analyses of covariance were performed and dependent measures included stress levels as well as physiological measures, i.e., cardiovascular activity (electrocardiogram) and skin conductance levels. RESULTS: All three forms of relaxation led to reduced maternal stress which manifested itself in significantly decreased skin conductance, F(3,94) = 18.011, p = .001, ηp2 = .365, and subjective stress levels after the interventions with no significant group difference. Post-intervention stress ratings were further affected by gestational age, with less subjective relaxation in women later in gestation, F (1, 34)=4.971, p = .032, ηp2 = .128. CONCLUSION: Independent of relaxation technique, single, 20-min relaxation intervention (music, guided imagery or resting) can significantly reduce maternal stress. Notably, women at an earlier stage in their pregnancy reported higher relaxation after the intervention than women later in gestation. Hence, gestational age may influence perceived stress levels and should be considered when evaluating relaxation or stress management interventions during pregnancy. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Not applicable.

The effects of a music intervention during port catheter placement on anxiety and stress.

Studies have shown that perioperative music interventions can reduce patients' anxiety levels. However, in small operations like port catheter surgery evidence is sparse. The present single-blinded, randomised controlled two-armed study included 84 female patients undergoing port catheter placement who were randomly assigned to either listening to music during surgery vs. no music intervention. The medical staff was blind to group allocation. On the day of the surgery anxiety and stress levels were evaluated using subjective (STAI questionnaire, visual analogue scales) and objective (vital parameters, salivary cortisol) parameters at different time points (before the surgery, at the end of the surgery and 1 h post-surgery). The music group showed significant reductions of systolic blood pressure (from 136.5 mmHg ± 26.1 to 123.3 mmHg ± 22.0, p = .002) and heart rate (from 75.6 bpm ± 12.3 to 73.1 bpm ± 12.2, p = .035) from beginning of the surgery to skin suture, whereas the control group did not. No significant effects of the music intervention on subjective anxiety measures or salivary cortisol were revealed. In sum, the study demonstrates that a music intervention during port catheter placement positively influences physiological anxiety levels, whereas no effects were revealed for subjective anxiety and salivary cortisol. Thus, music can be considered as a low cost addition in clinical routine in order to reduce patients' heart rate and blood pressure. Future studies are encouraged to further explore the differential effects of intraoperative music interventions on physiological, endocrinological and subjective anxiety levels.

Use of music during vaginal birth and caesarean section: an interprofessional survey.

PURPOSE: Evidence abounds about the beneficial effects of music on patients and healthcare professionals for many medical indications. This study aimed to evaluate the dissemination and use of music in the obstetrical setting. METHODS: Invitations to an online survey were sent to physicians and midwives of all obstetrics departments in Germany. The survey gathered descriptive data as well as information about the personal relation to music and the use of it during vaginal birth (VB) and caesarean section (CS) and whether data about positive or negative effects of music were known to the participant. RESULTS: In total, there were 293 respondents. The 47% that had the means to play music during CS stated that music was played in 15% of the cases. Most respondents have the means to play music during VB (97%). Music is played in 38% of VB. Regardless of the mode of delivery, music was estimated to be positive for team communication and patient communication. It was also deemed calming and mood lifting on the respondents. Regarding the patient, music during CS and VB was rated as being positive on all scales. Listening to music was recommended more often during VB (66%) than CS (38%). CONCLUSIONS: Although healthcare professionals are mostly aware of the beneficial effects of music in obstetrics, our study shows that music plays a more important role during VB than during CS in Germanys obstetrical wards. There is a lack of equipment to play music in operation theatres where CS take place.

The effects of a music and singing intervention during pregnancy on maternal well-being and mother-infant bonding: a randomised, controlled study.

PURPOSE: Stress and impaired mother-infant bonding during pregnancy can lead to adverse effects for the expectant mother and the unborn child. The present study investigates whether a prenatal music and singing intervention can improve maternal well-being as well as mother-infant bonding. METHODS: A total of 172 pregnant women took part in this prospective, randomised, three-armed (music, singing or control group) study. Depressive symptoms, self-efficacy, maternal well-being and mother-infant bonding were assessed with visual analogue scales and questionnaires before the intervention phase (30th week of gestation) and afterwards (36th week of gestation). Additionally, immediate changes regarding experienced stress and mood from before until after the music and singing interventions were explored with questionnaires as well as saliva samples (for cortisol, alpha-amylase and oxytocin determination). RESULTS: Regarding immediate effects, both interventions showed positive effects on the emotional state, stress (cortisol) and bonding (oxytocin). Additionally, the singing group showed a larger reduction in cortisol and a larger improvement in valence than the music group. Looking at more prolonged effects, significant effects on general self-efficacy and perceived closeness to the unborn child (measured with a visual analogue scale) were found. No significant effects were revealed for the mother-infant bonding questionnaire and for depressive symptoms. CONCLUSION: In the present study, promising effects of music and in particular singing on maternal well-being and perceived closeness during pregnancy appeared. Prenatal music and singing interventions could be an easy to implement and effective addition to improve mood and well-being of the expectant mother and support mother-infant bonding. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: DRKS00012822, date of registration: 17.10.2017.

Effects of music intervention during caesarean delivery on anxiety and stress of the mother a controlled, randomised study.

BACKGROUND: Stress and anxiety during pregnancy and childbirth have negative consequences for both mother and child. There are indications that music has a positive effect in this situation. The present study investigates the influence of music during the caesarean on anxiety and stress of the expectant mother. METHODS: The SAMBA study is a single-centre, controlled, randomized study including 304 patients. Women in the intervention group heard music via loudspeakers from one of four self-selected genres. The control group had standard treatment without music. The caesarean was performed in regional Anesthesia. At admission, at skin incision, during skin suture and two hours after completion of surgery, different subjective (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, visual analogue scale for anxiety) and objective parameters (salivary cortisol/amylase, heart rate, blood pressure) were collected. Mixed-factorial Analysis of variances as well as independent sample t-tests were applied for data analysis. RESULTS: At skin suture, significantly lower anxiety levels were reported in the intervention group regarding State anxiety (31.56 vs. 34.41; p = .004) and visual analogue scale for anxiety (1.27 vs. 1.76; p = .018). Two hours after surgery, the measured visual analogue scale for anxiety score in the intervention group was still significantly lower (0.69 vs. 1.04; p = .018). The objective parameters showed significant differences between the groups in salivary cortisol increase from admission to skin suture (12.29 vs. 16.61 nmol/L; p = .043), as well as systolic blood pressure (130.11 vs. 136.19 mmHg; p = .002) and heart rate (88.40 vs. 92.57/min; p = .049) at skin incision. CONCLUSIONS: Music during caesarean is an easy implementable and effective way of reducing stress and anxiety of the expectant mother. TRIAL REGISTRATION: German registry for clinical trials ( DRKS00007840 ). Registered 16/06/2015. Retrospectively registered.

Hemispheric differences between left and right supramarginal gyrus for pitch and rhythm memory.

Functional brain imaging studies and non-invasive brain stimulation methods have shown the importance of the left supramarginal gyrus (SMG) for pitch memory. The extent to which this brain region plays a crucial role in memory for other auditory material remains unclear. Here, we sought to investigate the role of the left and right SMG in pitch and rhythm memory in non-musicians. Anodal or sham transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) was applied over the left SMG (Experiment 1) and right SMG (Experiment 2) in two different sessions. In each session participants completed a pitch and rhythm recognition memory task immediately after tDCS. A significant facilitation of pitch memory was revealed when anodal stimulation was applied over the left SMG. No significant effects on pitch memory were found for anodal tDCS over the right SMG or sham condition. For rhythm memory the opposite pattern was found; anodal tDCS over the right SMG led to an improvement in performance, but anodal tDCS over the left SMG had no significant effect. These results highlight a different hemispheric involvement of the SMG in auditory memory processing depending on auditory material that is encoded.

From amusic to musical?--Improving pitch memory in congenital amusia with transcranial alternating current stimulation.

Brain imaging studies highlighted structural differences in congenital amusia, a life-long perceptual disorder that is associated with pitch perception and pitch memory deficits. A functional anomaly characterized by decreased low gamma oscillations (30-40 Hz range) in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) during pitch memory has been revealed recently. Thus, the present study investigates whether applying transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) at 35 Hz to the right DLPFC would improve pitch memory. Nine amusics took part in two tACS sessions (either 35 Hz or 90 Hz) and completed a pitch and visual memory task before and during stimulation. 35 Hz stimulation facilitated pitch memory significantly. No modulation effects were found with 90 Hz stimulation or on the visual task. While amusics showed a selective impairment of pitch memory before stimulation, the performance during 35 Hz stimulation was not significantly different to healthy controls anymore. Taken together, the study shows that modulating the right DLPFC with 35 Hz tACS in congenital amusia selectively improves pitch memory performance supporting the hypothesis that decreased gamma oscillations within the DLPFC are causally involved in disturbed pitch memory and highlight the potential use of tACS to interact with cognitive processes.

Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation over the supramarginal gyrus facilitates pitch memory.

Functional neuroimaging studies have shown activation of the supramarginal gyrus during pitch memory tasks. A previous transcranial direct current stimulation study using cathodal stimulation over the left supramarginal gyrus reported a detrimental effect on short-term pitch memory performance, indicating an important role of the supramarginal gyrus in pitch memory. The current study aimed to determine whether pitch memory could be improved following anodal stimulation of the left supramarginal gyrus. The performances of non-musicians on two pitch memory tasks (pitch recognition and recall) and a visual memory control task following anodal or sham transcranial direct current stimulation were compared. The results show that, post-stimulation, the anodal group but not the control group performed significantly better on both pitch memory tasks; performance did not differ on the face memory task. These findings provide strong support for the causal involvement of the left supramarginal gyrus in the pitch memory process, and highlight the potential efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation as a tool to improve pitch memory.