New research on mice indicates that meditation and listening to music may help enhance the effect of painkillers.
Using two groups of mice, researchers exposed one group to ambient noise and the other group to three segments of Mozart. The researchers asked musicians to analyze sequences of Mozart pieces in order to optimize the playlist that the mice would be listening to.
Music’s effects on pain killers
Using different painkillers each time (cannabidiol, ibuprofen, levetiracetam and NAX 5055), the scientists ran the study four times. Both groups of mice received doses that are considered to be suboptimal.
Of all the painkillers, the ibuprofen produced the most significant results. The group of mice that listened to music (in the test that mimicked inflammation pain, rather than surgical pain) saw a 93% drop in their pain responses compared to the control group.
In the test that mimicked inflammation (vs. surgical pain), the combination of music and cannabidiol reduced swelling by 21%, while the NAX 5055 and music combination reduced swelling by 9%.
For the mice whose pain mimicked surgery pain (rather than inflammation-related pain), music significantly reduced some of the pain, but not all of it.
Mice vs. humans
Although studying the effects of music and painkillers on mice may seem like a stretch, the animals’ bodies are actually very similar to humans in many ways.
In addition, using mice instead of humans takes the psychological response to music out of the equation. The mouse model helps ensure that the researchers are looking at a physiological response to the music.
The hope is that testing on human will show similar results, decreasing the need for higher drug doses for their pain-killing effects.
But tests on humans may show different results, as mice hear different frequencies than humans. This may impact the results from the effects of music.
