title: Monochord sounds and progressive muscle relaxation reduce anxiety and improve relaxation during chemotherapy: a pilot EEG study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Chemotherapy is the most distressing form of cancer treatment in oncology, but listening to music can be an adjuvant during chemotherapy. Monochord (MC) sounds are used in music therapy for the alleviation of pain, enhanced body perception, and relaxation. This study investigated the relaxation effect of MC sounds for patients during chemotherapy compared with progressive muscle relaxation (PMR), an established relaxation technique.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two randomized groups of patients were observed during chemotherapy. One group listened to recorded MC sounds (n=20) and the other group listened to recorded PMR (n=20). Each session was investigated pre and post using Spielberger's State Anxiety Inventory (SAI) and a questionnaire about the patient's physical and psychological states. Further, for the first and the last session, multivariate electroencephalogram (EEG) signals were recorded. Patients in both MC and PMR groups showed significant improvement in their physical and psychological states and in state anxiety. The EEG data showed that the MC and the PMR groups were associated with an increase of posterior theta (3.5-7.5 Hz) and a decrease of midfrontal beta-2 band (20-29.5 Hz) activity during the end phase of relaxation treatment. Further, the MC group was associated with decreased alpha band (8-12 Hz) activity in comparison with PMR group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study shows that both listening to recorded MC sounds and practising PMR have a useful and comparable effect on gynaecologic oncological patients during chemotherapy, with partially overlapping but also notably divergent neural correlates. Future research should establish the systematic use of MC in oncological contexts.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Medical Psychology, University Hospital, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany. eun-jeong.lee@med.uni-heidelberg.de
authors.forename: Eun-Jeong
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Joydeep
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bhattacharya
authors.forename: Christof
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sohn
authors.forename: Rolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Verres
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects; D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D058256:Brain Waves; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009126:Muscle Relaxation; D009146:Music; D009147:Music Therapy; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology; D012063:Relaxation; D012064:Relaxation Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D013016:Sound; D013312:Stress, Physiological; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents