STRESS REDUCTION THROUGH LISTENING TO MUS IC - EFFECTS ON STRESS HORMONES, HEMODYNAMICS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL STATE IN PATIENTS WITH ARTERIAL-HYPERTENSION AND IN HEALTHY-SUBJECTS

Stress hormones, tissue-plasminogen activator (t-PA) antigen, left-ven tricular diastolic function and mood immediately before and after list ening to three different kinds of music (a waltz by J. Strauss, a piec e of modern classic by H. W. Henze, and meditative music by R. Shankar ) were measured in 20 healthy persons (10 women, 10 men; mean age 25 [ 20-33] years) and 20 hypertensives (8 women, 12 men; mean age 57.5 [25 -72] years). To recognise haemodynamic effects, mitral flow by Doppler ultrasound was used as a measure of left-venticular diastolic functio n. Atrial filling pressure (AFF) was calculated from the flow integral (VTI) of the early E and the late A waves. The Zers sen scale was use d to estimate the immediate mood of the subjects. In hypertensives the levels of cortisol (74 vs 78 ng/ml; P < 0.05) and t-PA antigen (4.3 v s 4.5 ng/ml; P < 0.05) were lower after than before the Strauss waltz. The music by Henze lowered the concentrations of cortisol (70 vs 84 n g/ml; P < 0.05), noradrenaline (203 vs 224 ng/l; P < 0.05) and t-PA an tigen (4.1 vs 4.6 ng/ml; P < 0.05). After listening to the piece by Sh ankar the concentrations of cortisol (71 vs 78 ng/ml; P < 0.05), adren aline 14.5 vs 24.5 ng/ml; P < 0.05) and t-PA antigen (4.2 vs 4.3 ng/ml ; P < 0.05) were lower. In healthy subjects AFF (29 vs 26%; P < 0.05) rose after the Strauss music, VTI-E fell (69 vs 73 mm; P < 0.05, while natriuretic peptide rose (63 vs 60 pg/ml; P < 0.05. Mood improved (6 vs 11 points; P < 0.05). After Henze music the prolactin level fell (7 .7 vs 9.1 ng/ml; P < 0.05). After Shankar music the serum cortisol con centration fell (57 vs 65 ng/ml; P < 0.05), as did that of noradrenali ne (209 vs 256 ng/ml; P < 0.05) and t-PA antigen (1.1 vs 1.4 ng/ml; P < 0.05) in the healthy subjects. The AFF and t-PA levels were higher i n patients than healthy persons. - These data show that music has acut e stress-reducing effects in both hypertensives and healthy subjects, most marked with meditative music.