PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Pain is one of the most common and costly health problems worldwide. Due in part to the inadequacies of
purely biomedical approaches, many people are increasingly seeking complementary approaches to pain man-
agement, including music-based interventions (MBIs). Although the pain-relieving effects of MBIs are well-es-
tablished, lack of understanding of MBIs' mechanisms of action prevents us from exploiting their full therapeu-
tic potential. In order for mechanistic research on music and pain to progress in an efficient and rigorous man-
ner, the building of a multidisciplinary research workforce capable of leading innovative mechanistic studies is
needed. To this end, we propose to create the Music4Pain Network, a multidisciplinary research network that
will bring together neuroscientists, music therapists, musicians, neuropsychologists, rehabilitation scientists,
psychophysiologists, and more. The Music4Pain Network aims to accelerate knowledge in three key areas: (1)
development of a taxonomy of key terms and definitions related to MBIs and music, (2) increased understand-
ing of the mechanisms underlying the benefits of music for pain, and (3) identification of biomarkers and per-
son variables that predict treatment response to MBIs. Network activities will be guided by a formal research
agenda that will be developed by the Network's Core Investigator Team in collaboration with scientists with
complementary expertise. The Music4Pain Network will forge new multidisciplinary research collaborations by
(1) actively promoting the Network across disciplines to recruit experts with relevant and complimentary
knowledge, (2) building an interactive Network website to enable identification of potential collaborators, shar-
ing of resources, and featuring of Network activities and products, (3) promoting the Network using social me-
dia platforms, and (4) organizing annual meetings, webinars, and Music and Pain Special Interest Groups. In
addition, the Music4Pain Network will stimulate innovative, multidisciplinary mechanistic research through pilot
funding. The pilot funding will support the collection of innovative data to strengthen independent research
funding applications. The Network will also fund Visiting Scholar positions to help PhD students and postdoc-
toral fellows gain skills and expertise related to Network goals. In addition, the Network will build the music and
pain research workforce by mentoring new and early career investigators to develop research skills and sup-
port their efforts in obtaining extramural funding. The work that will be made possible through the Music4Pain
Network will enable the development of new, or optimization of existing, MBIs so that acute and chronic pain
can be better managed with a low-cost, non-pharmacological approach that has wide appeal to a large number
of people. Improved efficacy of MBIs and better understanding of their mechanisms of action will speed up
their adoption in clinical care. This could have important consequences for the millions of Americans currently
living with pain.
