MUSIC SHIFTS FRONTAL EEG IN DEPRESSED ADOLESCENTS

Recent studies have found that positive affect is associated with grea ter relative left frontal EEG activation and negative affect is associ ated with greater relative right frontal EEG activation. Further, chro nically depressed adults typically display stable right frontal EEG ac tivation. The present study investigated the effects of music on mood state and right frontal EEG activation associated with chronic depress ion. Fourteen chronically depressed female adolescents listened to roc k music for a 23-minute session. These adolescents were compared with a control sample of chronically depressed female adolescents who were simply asked to sit and relax their minds and their muscles for the sa me time period. EEG was recorded during baseline, music, and post-musi c for three minutes each, and saliva samples were collected before and after the session to determine the effects of the music on stress hor mone (cortisol) levels. No group differences or changes were noted for observed or reported mood state. However, cortisol levels decreased a nd relative right frontal activation was significantly attenuated duri ng and after the music procedure. It was concluded that music had posi tive effects on the physiological and biochemical measures even though observed and self-reported mood did not change.