Evidence mapPaperPMID 42043979Full record

Trial reportBrain and behavior2026

Acute Music-Frequency Exposure Modulates Salivary Stress and Neurotrophic Markers in Young Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Ümmü Gülşen Bozok, Gülbahar Böyük Özcan, Bülent Bayraktar, Doğukan Özen

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Brain and behavior, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Ümmü Gülşen BozokFaculty of Medicine, Department of Physiology, Ankara Medipol University, Ankara, Türkiye.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2016-7305
Gülbahar Böyük ÖzcanFaculty of Medicine, Department of Physiology, Ankara Medipol University, Ankara, Türkiye.
Bülent BayraktarFaculty of Health Sciences, Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Bayburt University, Bayburt, Türkiye.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2335-9089
Doğukan ÖzenFaculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Biostatistics, Ankara University, Ankara, Türkiye.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1943-2690

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe exam period is a period full of intense stress and anxiety that deeply affects cognitive and physiological responses for university students. Listening to music has the potential to protect cellular health and alleviate the negative effects of stress by affecting individuals' mood, and cognitive functions. This study aimed to investigate the differential effects of 528 and 432 Hz music frequencies on salivary BDNF, CREB, and GRP78 levels in young adults, along with their association with cognitive performance under exam-related stress.

methodsA total of 162 healthy university students were randomly assigned to three groups: no music (control), 528 Hz instrumental music, and 432 Hz instrumental music. Participants listened to music for 20 min, after which saliva samples were collected and analyzed for brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) and cyclic AMP response element-binding protein (CREB) levels using ELISA. Cognitive performance was assessed using the Stroop word-color test administered by medical doctor.

resultsExposure to 528 Hz music significantly increased salivary BDNF (3.84 [2.76-4.13]) and CREB levels (1.5 [1.38-1.59]) compared to control (p < 0.05), whereas GRP78 levels were elevated in the 432 Hz group (0.51 [0.47-0.58]) (p < 0.05). No significant differences were observed between groups in Stroop test performance.

conclusionThese findings suggest that specific music frequencies elicit distinct biological responses under exam-related stress, even in the absence of immediate cognitive performance differences. Salivary neurotrophic and stress-related biomarkers may offer valuable non-invasive insights into music's neuromodulatory effects.

trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov identifier: AMU-EC-8522.

Indexed as

Brain-Derived Neurotrophic FactorCyclic AMP Response Element-Binding ProteinHeat-Shock ProteinsMusicSalivaStress, PsychologicalAdolescentAdultBiomarkersCognitionEndoplasmic Reticulum Chaperone BiPFemaleHumansMaleYoung AdultBDNF protein, humanBiomarkersBrain-Derived Neurotrophic FactorCyclic AMP Response Element-Binding ProteinEndoplasmic Reticulum Chaperone BiPHeat-Shock ProteinsHSPA5 protein, humanBDNFcognitive functionCREBGRP78musicstressStroop test

Identifiers

PMID42043979
PMCPMC13118393

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.