Biological principles for music and mental health
Daniel L. Bowling · Translational Psychiatry · 2023 · Narrative review
Original publication · Original publication · Original publication · Original publication
Recorded summary
The authors organise music and mental-health research around biological principles involving reward, rhythm, learning and social connection. The review examines neural and physiological mechanisms, including dopamine and oxytocin signalling, that may help explain responses to music.
Recorded limitations
A broad mechanistic review; it does not supply one pooled treatment effect or establish that every music intervention acts through the same pathways.
Evidence and provenance
Chapter Trust Factor uses a minimum of three distinct qualifying studies. Publication records retain their own evidence and assessment.
Study design and assessment
- design
- Narrative review
- assessment
- category
- review
- peer Reviewed
- true
- basis
- Narrative review. No masked human randomized trial classification is assigned.
- sources
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-023-02671-4 · https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-023-02671-4 · https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10695969/ · https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38049408/
- reviewed At
- 2026-10-23
- trust Factor
- score
- 1
- scope
- Paper
- status
- assessed
- randomized Controlled Trial
- false
- blinding
- not-applicable
- peer Reviewed
- true
- basis
- Narrative review. No masked human randomized trial classification is assigned.
- sources
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38049408/ · https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-023-02671-4 · https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-023-02671-4 · https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10695969/
- review Scope
- Existing publication-specific assessments and bibliographic indexing; no blanket full-text appraisal.
- assessed At
- 2026-10-27
- jadad
- status
- unassessed
- score
- Not recorded
- evidence
- evidence Type
- Brain & nervous system
- sample
- Human and animal literature
- measurement
- Review of biological mechanisms relevant to music and mental health
- measured Genes
- None recorded
- relationship Note
- A broad mechanistic review; it does not supply one pooled treatment effect or establish that every music intervention acts through the same pathways.
- source URLs
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-023-02671-4 · https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-023-02671-4 · https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10695969/ · https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38049408/
- checked At
- 2026-10-23
Topics and recorded topic scores
- key
- sound:vii
- title
- Music, heart-rate variability, cognition, emotional regulation, pain and mental health
- collection
- sound
- trust Score
- 3
Citation snapshot and identifiers
- id
- pmid-38049408
- doi
- 10.1038/s41398-023-02671-4
- pmid
- 38049408
- citation Snapshot
- count
- 51
- source
- Crossref
- retrieved At
- 2026-10-23
- url
- https://api.crossref.org/works/10.1038/s41398-023-02671-4
- citations By Collection
- sound
- 51
Complete approved library record
- id
- pmid-38049408
- aliases
- None recorded
- title
- Biological principles for music and mental health
- journal
- Translational Psychiatry
- publisher Family
- nature
- publisher Family Label
- Nature Portfolio
- neurotransmitters
Oxytocin · Dopamine
- year
- 2023
- authors
- Daniel L. Bowling
- design
- Narrative review
- kind
- Review
- identity Conflict
- Not recorded
- doi
- 10.1038/s41398-023-02671-4
- pmid
- 38049408
- urls
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-023-02671-4 · https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-023-02671-4 · https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10695969/ · https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38049408/
- collections
sound
- categories
Brain & nervous system
- targets
- None recorded
- priority
- 1
- quotes
- None recorded
- summary
- The authors organise music and mental-health research around biological principles involving reward, rhythm, learning and social connection. The review examines neural and physiological mechanisms, including dopamine and oxytocin signalling, that may help explain responses to music.
- limitation
- A broad mechanistic review; it does not supply one pooled treatment effect or establish that every music intervention acts through the same pathways.
- citation Count
- 51
- citation Snapshot
- count
- 51
- source
- Crossref
- retrieved At
- 2026-10-23
- url
- https://api.crossref.org/works/10.1038/s41398-023-02671-4
- study Design Assessment
- category
- review
- peer Reviewed
- true
- basis
- Narrative review. No masked human randomized trial classification is assigned.
- sources
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-023-02671-4 · https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-023-02671-4 · https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10695969/ · https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38049408/
- reviewed At
- 2026-10-23
- paper Trust Assessment
- score
- 1
- scope
- Paper
- status
- assessed
- randomized Controlled Trial
- false
- blinding
- not-applicable
- peer Reviewed
- true
- basis
- Narrative review. No masked human randomized trial classification is assigned.
- sources
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38049408/ · https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-023-02671-4 · https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-023-02671-4 · https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10695969/
- review Scope
- Existing publication-specific assessments and bibliographic indexing; no blanket full-text appraisal.
- assessed At
- 2026-10-27
- citations By Collection
- sound
- 51
- topics
- key
- sound:vii
- title
- Music, heart-rate variability, cognition, emotional regulation, pain and mental health
- collection
- sound
- trust Score
- 3
- journal Key
- translationalpsychiatry
- journal Label
- Translational Psychiatry
- chapter Entries
- title
- Biological principles for music and mental health
- journal
- Translational Psychiatry
- year
- 2023
- authors
- Daniel L. Bowling
- design
- Narrative review
- urls
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-023-02671-4 · https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-023-02671-4 · https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10695969/ · https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38049408/
- doi
- 10.1038/s41398-023-02671-4
- pmid
- 38049408
- targets
- None recorded
- neurotransmitters
Oxytocin · Dopamine
- categories
Brain & nervous system
- citation Count
- 51
- citation Snapshot
- count
- 51
- source
- Crossref
- retrieved At
- 2026-10-23
- url
- https://api.crossref.org/works/10.1038/s41398-023-02671-4
- study Design Assessment
- category
- review
- peer Reviewed
- true
- basis
- Narrative review. No masked human randomized trial classification is assigned.
- sources
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-023-02671-4 · https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-023-02671-4 · https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10695969/ · https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38049408/
- reviewed At
- 2026-10-23
- evidence
- evidence Type
- Brain & nervous system
- sample
- Human and animal literature
- measurement
- Review of biological mechanisms relevant to music and mental health
- measured Genes
- None recorded
- relationship Note
- A broad mechanistic review; it does not supply one pooled treatment effect or establish that every music intervention acts through the same pathways.
- source URLs
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-023-02671-4 · https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-023-02671-4 · https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10695969/ · https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38049408/
- checked At
- 2026-10-23
- id
- sound-vii-pmid-38049408
- record Id
- pmid-38049408
- quotes
- None recorded
- source Pages
- None recorded
- summary
- The authors organise music and mental-health research around biological principles involving reward, rhythm, learning and social connection. The review examines neural and physiological mechanisms, including dopamine and oxytocin signalling, that may help explain responses to music.
- limitation
- A broad mechanistic review; it does not supply one pooled treatment effect or establish that every music intervention acts through the same pathways.
- paper Trust Assessment
- score
- 1
- scope
- Paper
- status
- assessed
- randomized Controlled Trial
- false
- blinding
- not-applicable
- peer Reviewed
- true
- basis
- Narrative review. No masked human randomized trial classification is assigned.
- sources
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38049408/ · https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-023-02671-4 · https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-023-02671-4 · https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10695969/
- review Scope
- Existing publication-specific assessments and bibliographic indexing; no blanket full-text appraisal.
- assessed At
- 2026-10-27
- collection
- sound
- chapter Number
- 2
- topic Id
- vii
- topic Title
- Music, heart-rate variability, cognition, emotional regulation, pain and mental health
- trust Score
- 3
- evidence
- evidence Type
- Brain & nervous system
- sample
- Human and animal literature
- measurement
- Review of biological mechanisms relevant to music and mental health
- measured Genes
- None recorded
- relationship Note
- A broad mechanistic review; it does not supply one pooled treatment effect or establish that every music intervention acts through the same pathways.
- source URLs
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-023-02671-4 · https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-023-02671-4 · https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10695969/ · https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38049408/
- checked At
- 2026-10-23
- jadad
- status
- unassessed
- score
- Not recorded
- condition Evidence
- None recorded
- conditions
- None recorded
- topic Trust Scores
3
- full Text
- status
- open-license
- retrieval Available
- true
- url
- https://pmc-oa-opendata.s3.amazonaws.com/PMC10695969.1/PMC10695969.1.xml?md5=e94b4572ca3c57c9583d6554defb0ab6
- pmcid
- PMC10695969
- rights
- license
- CC BY
- use
- Attribution-preserving reuse
- public Fulltext Redistribution
- false
- provider Upload
- false
- model Training
- false
- basis
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/tools/pmcaws/
- article Rights
© The Author(s) 2023 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ .
- sha256
- 9a24906b9a7709aaf6d80e9bd523050f7902d47fbbcb4b717b4cc7b5671d7d0e
- checked At
- 2026-10-24