A short-term musical training affects implicit emotion regulation only in behaviour but not in brain activity

BMC Neuroscience, vol. 22, pp. 30

Abstract

BACKGROUND: In everyday life, negative emotions can be implicitly regulated by positive stimuli, without any conscious cognitive engagement; however, the effects of such implicit regulation on mood and related neuro-mechanisms, remain poorly investigated in literature. Yet, improving implicit emotional regulation could reduce psychological burden and therefore be clinically relevant for treating psychiatric disorders with strong affective symptomatology. RESULTS: Music training reduced the negative emotional state elicited by negative odours. However, such change was not reflected at the brain level. CONCLUSIONS: In a context of affective rivalry a musical training enhances implicit regulatory processes. Our findings offer a first base for future studies on implicit emotion regulation in clinical populations.

Authors 7

1. Mark Berthold‐Losleben

   Norwegian University of Science and Technology · St Olav's University Hospital

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Mental Health, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway

   Division of Mental Healthcare, St. Olavs University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway

2. Silvia Papalini

   KU Leuven

   Affiliation as printed

   Laboratory for Biological Psychology, Brain and Cognition Unit, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

3. Ute Habel Aachen Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics

   RWTH Aachen University · Universitätsklinikum Aachen

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital RWTH, Aachen, Germany

4. Katrin Losleben

   UiT The Arctic University of Norway

   Affiliation as printed

   Centre for Women's and Gender Studies, The Arctic University of Norway (UiT), Tromsø, Norway

   Centre for Women’s and Gender Studies, The Arctic University of Norway (UiT), Tromsø, Norway

5. Frank W. Schneider Aachen Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics

   RWTH Aachen University · Universitätsklinikum Aachen · Düsseldorf University Hospital

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital RWTH, Aachen, Germany

   University Hospital Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany

6. Katrin Amunts

   Forschungszentrum Jülich · Düsseldorf University Hospital · Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf

   Affiliation as printed

   Cécile and Oskar Vogt Institute of Brain Research, Heinrich Heine University, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany

   Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Jülich Research Centre, Jülich, Germany

7. Nils Kohn corresponding

   Radboud University Nijmegen · Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour

   Affiliation as printed

   Department for Cognitiv Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Postbus 9101, 6500 HB, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. n.kohn@donders.ru.nl

   Department for Cognitiv Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands