Perception of traditional / nontraditional music and its Influence upon life expectancy: pre-liminary Report. Article 2: telomerase activity
Creators: name: Spivak Irina
name: Spivak Dimitri
name: Urazova Arina
name: Zakharchuk Andrey
Publisher: name: Международный журнал исследований культуры
Year: 2018
Subjects: ВОСПРИЯТИЕ МУЗЫКИ
PERCEPTION OF MUSIC
КУЛЬТУРНОЕ НАСЛЕДИЕ
CULTURAL HERITAGE
АКТИВНОСТЬ ТЕЛОМЕРАЗЫ
TELOMERASE ACTIVITY
ДЛИНА ТЕЛОМЕР
TELOMERE LENGTH
УРОВЕНЬ СТРЕССА
STRESS REDUCTION
ОЖИДАЕМАЯ ПРОДОЛЖИТЕЛЬНОСТЬ ЖИЗНИ
LIFE EXPECTANCY

description: The paper presents preliminary results of an interdisciplinary research project dedicated to psychological aspects of perception of traditional / nontraditional music, and its molecular biological correlates. 65 normal, Russian-speaking, young subjects were observed prior to passing a two-week music course of a definite type, 1.5 hours a day, and right after it. They were divided into three subgroups, one of which passed a course of light classical music, which was quite traditional for them, another one listened to non-traditional, designer music, sharply different from the former one in key and timbre. The third subgroup, which listened to sounds of nature, served for the means of control. 6 psychological questionnaires were applied, providing assessment of levels of mood and neuroticization, degrees of activation of basic psychological defense mechanisms and strategies of coping with stress, and of such hidden human reserves as temporary activation of intrinsic religious attitudes, and short-term alteration of consciousness. Molecular biological correlates were regarded on the level of telomere length and telomerase activity, which served as stress markers and predictors of life expectancy. For the purpose of the present, pilot study, both molecular biological indices were scaled, using the thresholds of ±30 basic pairs for telomere length, and of ±10% conventional units for telomerase activation. Shifting inside these intervals was regarded as statistically insignificant. Shifting outside these intervals, as a result of passing a music course of a given type, was regarded as statistically significant, and as either an increase or, a decrease, depending on the direction of alteration. Thus any of the 3 ways of alteration of telomere length could be combined with any of the 3 ways of alteration of telomerase activity, in the case of any of the 3 subgroups of subjects. Thus 3x3 (that is, 9) strategies of alteration of telomere length and telomerase activity were regarded in the case of each subgroup of subjects. As a result, two dominating strategies of alteration of molecular biological indices, depending on the type of music course, were revealed. The first one, occurring in the case of the course of traditional music, consisted in increase of telomere length, which was often, but not necessarily, accompanied by increase in telomerase activity. The second strategy comprised sharp increase of telomerase activation, which was not accompanied by increase of telomere length. Basing on literary data, 230 the former strategy was interpreted as related to stress reduction and rise of life expectancy. The latter one consisted in activation of telomerase, allowing to protect telomere length, as means of coping with stress. Basing on these results, revision of such controversial issues as Mozart effect, is proposed.