Sun YF, Zhang Q, Wang J, Zhou ZH. Neuroimaging and neuroelectrophysiological features of music's effects on anhedonia in major depressive disorder: A minireview. World J Psychiatry 2025; 15(7): 107721 [DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v15.i7.107721]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Zhen-He Zhou, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Mental Health Center of Jiangnan University, No. 156 Qianrong Road, Wuxi 214151, Jiangsu Province, China. zhouzh@jiangnan.edu.cn
Research Domain of This Article
Psychiatry
Article-Type of This Article
Minireviews
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Psychiatry. Jul 19, 2025; 15(7): 107721 Published online Jul 19, 2025. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v15.i7.107721
Neuroimaging and neuroelectrophysiological features of music's effects on anhedonia in major depressive disorder: A minireview
Yi-Fan Sun, Qi Zhang, Jun Wang, Zhen-He Zhou
Yi-Fan Sun, Qi Zhang, Jun Wang, Zhen-He Zhou, Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Mental Health Center of Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214151, Jiangsu Province, China
Co-corresponding authors: Jun Wang and Zhen-He Zhou.
Author contributions: Wang J and Zhou ZH contributed equally to this study as co-corresponding authors; Sun YF wrote the manuscript; Sun YF and Zhang Q performed the literature search; Wang J and Zhou ZH provided guidance on the manuscript preparation.
Supported by the Wuxi Municipal Health Commission Research Project Plan, No. Q202450; Wuxi Scientific and technological breakthrough of “Light of the Taihu Lake” (Basic Research), No. K20221039; and Top Talent Support Program for Young and Middle-aged People of Wuxi Health Committee, No. BJ2023086.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Zhen-He Zhou, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Mental Health Center of Jiangnan University, No. 156 Qianrong Road, Wuxi 214151, Jiangsu Province, China. zhouzh@jiangnan.edu.cn
Received: April 1, 2025 Revised: April 22, 2025 Accepted: June 4, 2025 Published online: July 19, 2025 Processing time: 103 Days and 18.4 Hours
Abstract
Major depressive disorder (MDD), one of the most prevalent mental illnesses, is characterized by anhedonia, the inability to experience pleasure from rewarding activities. This minireview examines the complex relationship between music, anhedonia, and neural activity from neuroimaging and neuroelectrophysiological perspectives. It synthesizes the latest advances in music neuroscience, exploring music's potential to modulate emotional responses and alleviate anhedonia in depressed individuals. Anhedonia has been linked to dysfunctional brain reward circuits. Functional magnetic resonance imaging studies have revealed that the potential mechanism by which music exerts its anti-depressive effect may involve the reactivation of the anterior cingulate cortex, while electroencephalographic studies have revealed that oscillatory network dysfunction significantly impairs music perception engagement in patients with MDD. Musical chills, representing intense emotional peaks during musical experiences, can evoke profound pleasure in healthy individuals and may offer a therapeutic modality for alleviating anhedonia in MDD. This review discusses how music therapy may support emotional regulation by activating these neural pathways and enhancing affective processing. Despite promising developments, this field remains understudied. A more nuanced research approach is urgently needed to better understand the mechanisms underlying music's effects on anhedonia and to develop effective interventions.
Core Tip: Although several reviews have explored the relationship between music and neural activity, there remains a notable gap in comprehensive reviews specifically examining the association of music with anhedonia in major depressive disorder (MDD). To the best of our knowledge, this minireview provides the first systematic synthesis of music’s effects on reward function in MDD from both neuroimaging and neuroelectrophysiological perspectives, while proposing novel directions for future research.
