Treating Major Depressive Disorder With Music and Low-frequency Rhythmic Sensory Stimulation

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a highly prevalent and disabling disorder associated with persistent low mood, loss of the capacity to experience pleasure (i.e. anhedonia), reduced social functioning, and impaired quality of life. MDD is estimated to affect approximately 2% of Canadian women and 1% of Canadian men at any point in time. The World Health Organization affirms that depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide, with increasing global economic impact. Standard treatments for depression include basic psychosocial support combined with antidepressant medication or psychotherapy. It has been observed, however, that only 50% of individuals respond to psychological treatment, and only 30-40% of patients achieve full remission after initial treatment with antidepressants. Music- and sound-related therapies have the potential to serve as adjuncts to, or facilitators of, medication. Several recent systematic reviews have concluded that music is an effective therapeutic tool with significant results on improving global state, symptoms, and overall functioning, and is also well-accepted by patients. The goal of this project is to evaluate the effectiveness of music and rhythmic sensory stimulation with low-frequency sounds as an adjunctive therapy for depression. Through a systematic collection of clinical, behavioural and electrophysiological measures, the project also aims to determine the possible mechanisms that underlie the effects of music- and sound-based therapies on symptoms of MDD. In addition to measures of depression severity and symptoms, we are also interested in secondary behavioral measures addressing possible confounding variables, such as anhedonia, quality of life, and individual differences in how people experience reward and pleasure associated with music. These assessments will allow an initial investigation of the neural correlates of the therapeutic effects of music in the treatment of depression, which is greatly warranted to better understand the efficacy of music- and sound-based treatments.