Summary:
A pilot neuroimaging study from Anglia Ruskin University shows that active music therapy can quickly change brain activity linked to emotional regulation and reduce momentary cravings in people recovering from drug and alcohol dependence. Published in Addiction Neuroscience, the study combined self-report measures, qualitative interviews, and real-time electroencephalography (EEG) to show that participants who took part in six weekly music therapy sessions reported immediate reductions in substance craving and exhibited reliable shifts in frontal beta and alpha EEG rhythms associated with craving and affective processing.
Key Facts:
- Immediate craving relief: After music therapy sessions, participants reported significantly lower present-moment cravings on standardized craving scales compared with those receiving standard care alone.
- Objective biomarkers of craving suppression: EEG recordings showed reduced frontal beta oscillations after music-making sessions—an electrophysiological signature commonly elevated during acute craving and cognitive-affective distress.
- Improved emotional regulation: Statistically significant changes in frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA) suggested better hemispheric balance in affective-motivational processing, indicating enhanced capacity to manage negative emotions that frequently trigger relapse.
Source: Anglia Ruskin University
Background: Substance use disorders hijack the brain’s meso-corticolimbic dopamine circuitry, driving compulsive reward-seeking while reducing sensitivity to natural rewards. At the same time, addiction weakens prefrontal control over emotion and behaviour, leaving people prone to intense cravings, depressive symptoms, anxiety, and impulsive outbursts during withdrawal and early recovery.
Music naturally engages dopaminergic reward pathways and can produce mood elevation and emotional release without pharmacological risks. Although music therapy has been used alongside psychosocial rehabilitation for years, objective neurophysiological evidence of its effects on the addicted brain has been limited—until now.
Researchers at the Cambridge Institute for Music Therapy Research, Anglia Ruskin University, conducted the first study to record real-time EEG during active music therapy in people receiving treatment for substance use disorders. Their mixed-methods pilot combined neural data, psychometric scales, and participant interviews to examine how musical engagement influences craving, inhibition, and affective processing.
“Substance use often brings cognitive and behavioural challenges, including impaired emotional regulation and symptoms such as depression and anxiety,” said senior author Jörg Fachner, Professor of Music, Health and the Brain and co-director of ARU’s Cambridge Institute for Music Therapy Research. “Our systematic reviews have shown that music therapy can reduce cravings and boost motivation for change. This study adds electrophysiological recordings to participants’ self-reports, allowing us to observe how therapy alters neural processes tied to recovery.”
Transforming Clinics into Live Acoustic Brain Labs
The randomized pilot included 16 adults attending an outpatient community addiction service in London for dependence on alcohol and illicit substances (including heroin, cocaine and cannabis). Participants were randomly assigned to either standard treatment alone or standard treatment plus six weekly music therapy sessions.
To preserve ecological validity, the research team temporarily converted clinic space into a modular recording studio and portable EEG laboratory. Sessions took place individually and in groups, and participants actively created music rather than passively listening. Instruments included percussion, acoustic and electric guitars, drum pads, digital keyboards and music production software.
Immediately after music therapy sessions, participants reported lower present-moment cravings on Craving Thermometer ratings than those who received only standard care, indicating a rapid, session-level effect on conscious craving.
Calming Frontal Beta Waves and Restoring Affective Balance
EEG measures provided biological context for the behavioural changes:
- Frontal beta reductions: Participants in the music therapy group showed marked reductions in frontal beta activity compared with controls. Elevated frontal beta power is a known correlate of acute craving and cognitive-affective distress.
- Frontal alpha asymmetry shifts: The study observed statistically significant shifts in frontal alpha asymmetry, a measure associated with approach–withdrawal motivation and the neural processing of positive versus negative emotion.
When combined with behavioural tasks, the FAA results suggested that active music-making supported greater cognitive inhibition of negative emotions—such as anger, irritability and frustration—that commonly precipitate relapse. According to Prof. Fachner, “Music therapy appears to help people process negative emotions, manage cravings and strengthen control over emotional responses, which can support motivation for behavioural change.”
Implications and Next Steps
As a small pilot, the study has limited statistical power, but the alignment between subjective reports, interview themes and objective EEG measures indicates that music can act as a biophysical intervention to recalibrate dysfunctional neural networks in recovery. The research team is planning larger, longitudinal trials to measure whether sustained music-based neurorehabilitation improves long-term sobriety, reduces relapse rates and restores prefrontal executive function.
Editorial Notes:
- This article was edited by a Neuroscience News editor.
- The journal paper was reviewed in full.
- Additional context was added by editorial staff.
About this research:
- Media Contact: Jon Green
- Source: Anglia Ruskin University
- Image Credit: Image credited to Neuroscience News
- Original research (Open Access): Addiction Neuroscience (Sept 22, 2026). Title: “Music therapy in community-based substance misuse treatment: Exploring psychometric, qualitative and EEG measures related to craving, inhibition and affective processing.” Authors: Filippo Pasqualitto, Clemens Maidhof, Paul Fernie, Daniel Murtagh, Devon De Silva, Francesca Panin, Andrew Michell, and Jörg Fachner.
- DOI: 10.1016/j.addicn.2026.100281
Abstract
Music therapy in community-based substance misuse treatment: Exploring psychometric, qualitative and EEG measures related to craving, inhibition and affective processing
Music therapy (MT) is a promising adjunctive intervention for substance use disorder (SUD), but multi-modal studies that combine neural, psychometric and qualitative measures are rare. This mixed-methods pilot studied sixteen participants from a community-based treatment service to compare standard treatment (ST) alone with ST plus six weekly MT sessions. Measures included resting-state and event-related EEG, psychometric scales and semi-structured interviews addressing craving, affective symptoms, inhibitory control and therapeutic experience.
Craving Thermometer ratings indicated immediate reductions in present-moment craving after MT sessions, suggesting that perceived craving relief emerges quickly after active music-making. After adjusting for baseline, there were no significant group differences in post-intervention Brief Substance Craving Scale scores or resting-state beta z-scores, though the MT group showed a larger descriptive reduction in beta power. MT and ST differed significantly in post-intervention frontal alpha asymmetry when baseline was accounted for, highlighting affective-motivational processing as a promising focus for future research.
The MT group also showed a nominal, non-significant increase in P3d amplitude during a Go/NoGo task, pointing to response-inhibition-related EEG activity as a candidate signal for larger studies. Qualitative themes supported the quantitative findings by emphasizing reduced craving, increased emotional reflection, selective reluctance to discuss craving, and therapeutic connection.
This pilot supports the value of integrating session-level psychometric, qualitative and EEG measures in community-based music therapy for SUD. Future trials should use larger samples, robust allocation procedures, clearer comparators and longer follow-up to determine clinical effectiveness and durability of neural changes.
