EFFECTS OF MUSIC TREATMENT ON SALIVARY CORTISOL IN PATIENTS EXPOSED TO PRESURGICAL STRESS

The response of the adrenal cortex to a stressor consisting of informa tion about a surgery to be performed the following day was studied in 34 patients by monitoring changes in salivary cortisol. From those, 18 patients were subjected to an individually selected 1 h music program , applied immediately following receipt of the information, and the re maining 16 patients formed a reference group. Another 10 patients, not awaiting surgery, served as controls. Saliva was sampled before the s tressor and 5 more samples were collected at 15 min intervals. The str essor produced a 50% rise in salivary cortisol within 15 min. In patie nts not exposed to music, cortisol levels gradually decreased but afte r one hour they were markedly higher than the initial level. Listening to music resulted in a marked reduction in salivary cortisol level an d after one hour the relative decrease was similar to that observed in control (non-surgical) patients.