How does Music Change our Genes?

Kanduri C, Raijas P, Ahvenainen M, Philips AK, Ukkola-Vuoti L, Lähdesmäki H, Järvelä I. The effect of listening to music on human transcriptome. PeerJ. 2015 Mar 12;3:e830. doi: 10.7717/peerj.830. PMID: 25789207; PMCID: PMC4362302.

Oftentimes when we listen to music, it can affect our moods. For example, listening to sad songs after a difficult day can help us feel our negative emotions, while listening to calming, upbeat music can allow us to feel happier. While this phenomenon has been observed by many as a common occurrence, recent research has shown a biological backing to these musical effects.

In an experiment done on human subjects who have musical experience and also subjects who do not (meaning they have not formally learned music), scientists played classical music, testing 45 different genes in the human genome for differences in gene expression, which is when genes produce their subsequent proteins as a result of being “active” or “activated.” In most cases, genes are our own unique genetic material, meaning they cannot be changed. The genes that a person was born with are the ones that they will stay with for their entire lives. However, in the field of epigenetics, there are sometimes outside factors that can change gene functions, such as upregulating (increasing the expression) or down regulating (reducing the expression) the genes.

In the experiment, the human subjects who have musical experience were found to have significant changes in gene expression. Out of the 45 genes, 27 of them were upregulated from the subject listening to classical music, meaning they increased expression. These genes are primarily composed of the dopamine secreting genes. Dopamine is a hormone that sends signals throughout the entire body, making a person feel happy for a brief period of time. 

One gene that was significantly upregulated was the SNCA gene, which creates a protein called alpha-synuclein. While scientists are still uncertain of the specific role of this protein, there are studies showing that alpha-synuclein helps control the release of the dopamine hormone, helping us feel happier. Additionally, alpha-synuclein can work with the neurons in our body to prevent us from any unnecessary and sudden movements.

However, 18 of the genes were down regulated in the classical music process. Of these genes, many of them are involved in helping the ATP Synthase processes. The ATP Synthase is a protein that helps speed up the process of generating ATP (or adenosine triphosphate), a type of energy molecule that helps power the body. When genes in the process of ATP Synthase are downregulated from listening to classical music, there could be changes in the production of our body’s energy. This could be an explanation for why we feel tired after listening to calming music.

In subjects without musical experience, there were no significant changes in gene expression. This could suggest that by learning music, people can permanently acquire a new “trait” of being genetically affected by listening to music. However, since the experiment was only carried out with classical music, there is room for further studies. It is possible that by testing different types of music in the future, even those without musical experience will see genetic changes.

References:

Dunn, J., & Grider, M. H. (2023). Physiology, adenosine triphosphate - statpearls - NCBI bookshelf. Physiology, Adenosine Triphosphate. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK553175/ 

García-Aguilar, A., & Cuezva, J. M. (2018, August 31). A review of the inhibition of the mitochondrial ATP synthase by IF1 in vivo: Reprogramming energy metabolism and inducing mitohormesis. Frontiers. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2018.01322/full#:~:text=Inhibition%20of%20the%20ATP%20synthase%20compromises%20the%20output%20of%20ATP,metabolism%20to%20an%20enhanced%20glycolysis. 

U.S. National Library of Medicine. (2021, March 29). SNCA gene: Medlineplus genetics. MedlinePlus. https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/gene/snca/