26isfam028 10.3205/26isfam028 urn:nbn:de:0183-26isfam0284 Meeting Abstract Rui Rui Mei M

University of Texas MD Anderson

author German Medical Science GMS Publishing House

Düsseldorf

610 20260612 engl This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Dieser Artikel ist ein Open-Access-Artikel und steht unter den Lizenzbedingungen der Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (Namensnennung). M0652 028 International Society for Arts and Medicine The Healing Arts – Forging Alliances of Arts & Medicine Plenary Abstracts Berlin 20260618 20260620 26isfam028 TextBackground: Patients undergoing neurosurgical procedures frequently experience substantial preoperative anxiety and physiologic stress, which may adversely affect perioperative outcomes and patient well-being. Music medicine has emerged as a promising non-pharmacological intervention for reducing stress and enhancing the patient experience; however, mechanistic evidence linking music interventions to biological markers of stress and inflammation remains limited. The Music-STAR Trial (NCT06536504) was designed to evaluate the impact of simulated live and recorded music interventions on psychological and biological measures of stress and anxiety in neurosurgical patients.Methods: Music-STAR is a prospective, three-arm randomized controlled trial conducted at MD Anderson Cancer Center. A total of 132 patients undergoing neurosurgical procedures are being randomized to receive either simulated live music via a Steinway Spirio player piano, recorded music, or standard preoperative care. Music selections adhere to a validated, reproducible framework designed to promote relaxation. Participants receive a 30-minute intervention immediately before surgery. Outcomes include validated measures of anxiety, mood, and pain (STAI-S, POMS-SF, VAPS), physiologic parameters, and serum- and plasma-level biomarkers assessed through proteomic and metabolomic analyses.Results: Interim analysis of the first 52 participants in the music intervention arms demonstrated clinically meaningful reductions in perceived and biologic stress. Compared with baseline, patients receiving music interventions exhibited a 36% reduction in State-Trait Anxiety Inventory–State (STAI-S) scores and a 32% reduction in serum cortisol levels. Concurrently, serum oxytocin concentrations increased by 28%, suggesting enhanced neuroendocrine mechanisms associated with relaxation and emotional regulation. Proteomic and metabolomic analyses revealed significant reductions in inflammatory mediators, including hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids (HETEs), indicating attenuation of stress-related inflammatory pathways following a single 30-minute intervention.Conclusions: Preliminary findings from the Music-STAR Trial demonstrate measurable psychobiological effects of music medicine in neurosurgical patients. Music interventions reduced anxiety, cortisol, and inflammatory biomarkers while increasing oxytocin, supporting music medicine as a scalable, low-risk strategy for modulating stress physiology and enhancing perioperative care. 0 0 0 0