“We want to know the genetic melody of music”, find out which molecular switches are 'on' and 'off' when we listen to a song and explore its therapeutic potential.
A year ago, the Sensogenoma project was launched with these words from its creators, Antonio Salas, principal investigator of Genetics in Biomedicine (GenPoB) and the Genetics, Vaccines, Infectious Diseases and Pediatrics Group (GenVip); Federico Martinón, principal investigator of the GenVip Group and coordinator and head of the Pediatrics service of the University Hospital Complex of Santiago and Laura Navarro, musicologist, doctor in Musical Education and project coordinator.
Twelve months after those statements, the first results have just come to light and give clues as to why, as several studies point out, music has a beneficial effect on people with cognitive impairment..
According to studies carried out, which have analyzed the transcriptome – the genetic changes that occur in response to changes in the environment – of 1,200 patients with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's and a similar number of controls, music in patients with these neurodegenerative pathologies generates a different genetic expression than that produced in healthy people.
“Not only do they express different groups of genes, but they also do it in a different way,” explains Antonio Salas, who clarifies that patients with dementia show a greater sensitivity to music, in the sense that, in them and in comparison With healthy people, the number of genes that are modified is greater. “Music modifies the expression of more than twice as many genes as in people without diagnosed pathology, and many of these genes are related to neurodegenerative processes.”
One of the aspects that has caught the attention of researchers the most is that, in the patients studied, the musical stimulus causes the vast majority of genes to be expressed in the opposite direction to how they are expressed in the disease.. “A person with Alzheimer's has altered genes in one direction, but music causes those genes to be expressed in the opposite direction.”. It is intuitive to think that this effect of music has a compensatory effect on the genes altered in Alzheimer's, as if it were a therapeutic effect,” continues Salas..
Proof of concept
“We must keep in mind that this is a proof of concept,” Martinón intervenes.. “With this first stone we have been able to demonstrate, first of all, that the technical proposal was feasible, that the cutting-edge techniques that we use in infection or vaccine research can also be sensitive enough to measure the musical effect in a healthy person. or sick,” he emphasizes. “But, in addition, although the sample size is still small, it has also made it possible to show that there is a different expression in people who have degenerative neurocognitive disorders compared to healthy people. And, furthermore, this differential expression is as if it were in some way compensating for the genetic pathways that are altered by that underlying disease,” he adds..
Some of the genes whose expression has been altered are TMEM38B, MPT, CIGYF1, ADAMTSL4 or GATA2. “There is a long way to go until we know the specific role that each of them plays in the response to musical stimuli,” say the researchers, who are seeking the financial support necessary to develop the research at a good pace..
The results now presented are the result of a pilot experiment that was carried out on September 30, 2022.. Before and after a concert held by the Royal Philharmonic of Galicia, scientists took samples from the attendees and, later, using state-of-the-art technology, analyzed the changes in the expression of the genome of each of them..
The repertoire, secret until the day of the concert, consisted of pieces by Vivaldi, Mozart, Ravel and Gardel.
On September 29 and 30, a second edition of Sensogenoma will be held, with a new concert also in collaboration with the Royal Philharmony of Galicia, the musical group SANARTE and the Auditorio de Galicia.
“In the first experimental concerts we took very valuable samples that are being analyzed. In this next concert we want to introduce new things. For example, although the repertoire is also secret, I can anticipate that there will be two different parts, to be able to compare two different music stimuli.. For this reason, we are also going to collect samples during the break to see if different musical stimuli also generate different responses,” says Laura Navarro.. In addition, he explains, samples will also be taken from blind and hearing-impaired people to evaluate the effects of music on genetic expression in these groups..
“To investigate you need first ideas and then resources. We have the first ones. We lack financing. This is a project at the frontier of knowledge and, therefore, more risky than other research projects.. But the fact that the pilot part has already shown that it is feasible to measure what we wanted to measure and, in addition, also shows that there is a differential response between people with neurocognitive disorders and healthy people is a greater guarantee for promoters or patrons to want to associate their image with this project, which is going to have a lot of scientific significance and may have important clinical repercussions,” claims Martinón. “We invite everyone who wants to participate on a small or large scale in this project that has a great scientific dimension, but also social, cultural and art,” he concludes..