Karen Alejandra Díaz-Lozano , Oscar Alexis Becerra-Casillas , Nayeli Huidobro , Joel Cervantes-L , David I Serrano-Garcia , Hugo Vélez-Pérez , Mario Treviño , Inmaculada Márquez , Braniff de la Torre-Valdovinos
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Heart rate variability (HRV) coherence near 0.1 Hz has been proposed as a sensitive marker of autonomic regulation and stress resilience. Slow-tempo music has been associated with enhanced parasympathetic activity, and the stochastic resonance framework suggests that controlled noise may optimize weak physiological signals. This study examined whether embedding auditory noise into slow-tempo music could enhance HRV coherence.
Materials and Methods
Twelve healthy volunteers underwent electrocardiogram (ECG) and electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings while listening to slow-tempo instrumental music alone and with superimposed white noise at varying intensities. HRV coherence was quantified using spectral concentration around 0.1 Hz. Analyses compared music-only, zero noise (ZN), optimal noise (ON), and high noise (HN) conditions.
Results
Music alone progressively increased HRV coherence, with a tendency to stabilize around ∼1800 s. When music was combined with noise, HRV coherence showed a pattern consistent with an inverted-U: intermediate noise levels tended to produce higher coherence, whereas ZN and HN conditions were associated with reduced synchronization. Individual variability was evident, with each participant displaying a unique ON level. EEG results showed increased alpha activity, particularly in right-lateralized regions, consistent with relaxation states reported in the literature.
Conclusion
Embedding noise into slow-tempo music selectively amplified HRV coherence near 0.1 Hz, consistent with stochastic resonance. These findings suggest that noise-modulated music may serve as a low-cost, accessible complementary approach to strengthen autonomic regulation and stress regulation.
期刊介绍:
Physiology & Behavior is aimed at the causal physiological mechanisms of behavior and its modulation by environmental factors. The journal invites original reports in the broad area of behavioral and cognitive neuroscience, in which at least one variable is physiological and the primary emphasis and theoretical context are behavioral. The range of subjects includes behavioral neuroendocrinology, psychoneuroimmunology, learning and memory, ingestion, social behavior, and studies related to the mechanisms of psychopathology. Contemporary reviews and theoretical articles are welcomed and the Editors invite such proposals from interested authors.