Measurement of Serum Parameters Attributes the Therapeutic Effects of Music Therapy to Augmented Stress-Coping Ability and Diminished Systemic Inflammation.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a leading cause of disability worldwide. It remains elusive whether serum levels of cortisol, amino acids and their downstream neurotransmitters, and inflammatory cytokines can reflect the therapeutic response of MDD. Although music seems to be beneficial to MDD treatment, the optimal treatment strategy remains to be explored. Here, we report that the combination of pharmacotherapy and music therapy with both D major K. 448 and G minor K. 550, but not pharmacotherapy alone, significantly downregulated or presented numerical trends to downregulate serum levels of cortisol and norepinephrine (NE) in MDD patients. Furthermore, serum levels of L_Histidine, L_Glutamic acid, L_Aspartic acid, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), TNF-receptor I (TNFR I), and C-C motif ligand 11 (CCL11) were significantly downregulated or exhibited numerical trends to be downregulated by the combination of pharmacotherapy and music therapy, whereas those of cluster of differentiation 30 (CD30) exhibited opposite effects. Therefore, music therapy with both D major K. 448 and G minor K. 550 should be recommended as adjuvant therapy to MDD patients. Certain serum markers can reflect the therapeutic response of MDD. The therapeutic effects of music therapy may be attributed to augmented stress-coping ability and diminished systemic inflammation.