Investigate Effects of Music Therapy on Functional Connectivity in Papez Circuit of Breast Cancer Patients Using fMRI.

The aim of this study is to investigate activity and functional connectivity (FC) of Papez circuit networks associated with music processing using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in depressed breast cancer patients. Twenty-three breast cancer patients listened to four different Iranian/Persian music paradigms during the resting-state fMRI scanning session: negative stimulation of traditional music, negative stimulation of pop music, positive stimulation of traditional music and positive stimulation of pop music. The amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) was used to evaluate the local characteristics of spontaneous brain activity. FC maps were created using multivariate ROI-to-ROI connectivity (mRRC) and Papez circuit-based regions of interest (ROIs) selection. We found that music increases FC within various brain networks which are involved in memory, emotion, and cognitive function, including the limbic system, the default mode network (DMN), salience network (SN), and central executive network (CEN). Moreover, it seems that the traditional types (both positive and negative) of Iranian music may be more effective to affect brain activity in the patients with breast cancer, than the Iranian pop music. These findings demonstrate that music therapy, as an effective and easily applicable approach, supports the neuropsychological recovery and can contribute to standard treatment protocols in patients with breast cancer.