Sound can numb pain in mice, paving way for alternative treatment, Chinese scientist says

New study suggests music and noise don’t just distract from pain – they suppress it

The key is keeping the volume at a ‘sweet spot’ of 5 decibels louder than the surrounding environment

2-MIN READ2-MIN

Researchers in China found that the key to achieving pain relief in mice through sound was to keep the volume at a “sweet spot” 5 decibels louder than the ambient noise level. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 9:00pm, 8 Jul 2022

Researchers in China and the US have found that sounds – no matter whether music or white noise – can relieve pain in mice, raising prospects for future developments in music therapy and pain management.

Music and natural sounds are known to positively affect mood, relieve stress and relax the body. But according to a study published in the peer-reviewed journal Science on Friday, sound does not just distract from pain – it suppresses it.

“In the future, these findings could spur the development of alternative interventions for treating pain,” said the researchers with the University of Science and Technology of China, Anhui Medical University and National Institutes of Health in the US.

Lead author Zhang Zhi, a professor at USTC’s department of biophysics and neurobiology, said the findings supported future clinical applications to help relieve chronic pain.

“Sounds can be a complement to medicines to relieve pain in people who have undergone surgery or labour, especially for chronic pain that lasts years,” Zhang said. “It is easy to access with few side effects.”

The scientists concluded that the parts of the nervous system that process pain and sound interact with each other. Photo: University of Science and Technology of China

The researchers found that the parts of the nervous system that process pain and sound interact, making it possible to reduce pain in mice through sound stimulation.

The scientists injected mice with a solution that causes inflammation to investigate whether music that is pleasant to humans would have a pain-numbing effect.