Exploring how music can help manage pain
Official title: Music mechanisms and technologies network: Integrative models to address pain through music
Funded at University of Memphis · NIH-11219627 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is exploring how music can help people manage their pain better, aiming to find new ways to use music as a friendly and effective alternative to medication for those who need it.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Memphis NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Memphis, United States) |
| Project start | September 21, 2023 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2024 |
| Award (this year) | $474,572 |
| NIH project number | 7U24AT012602-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11219627 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are adults experiencing chronic pain who are seeking alternative methods for pain management.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who do not experience chronic pain or are not interested in non-pharmacological treatments may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research aims to create a network that investigates how music-based interventions (MBIs) can be used to alleviate pain. It focuses on understanding the complex nature of pain and how music can influence psychological and physiological factors associated with it. By developing and testing new technologies and approaches, the research seeks to improve the effectiveness of music as a non-pharmacological pain management strategy. Patients may benefit from a more personalized and effective way to manage their pain through music.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could provide patients with innovative, non-drug methods to manage and reduce their pain.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has shown that music-based interventions can be effective in managing pain, but this approach aims to refine and optimize these methods further.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Memphis
Memphis, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Burns, Debra S — University of Memphis
- Study coordinator: Burns, Debra S
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Next-Generation Wearable AI for Precision COPD Risk and Care
A patient-centered project uses a smart wearable and AI to predict COPD flare-ups and support doctors in making better care decisions.
-
How lifestyle factors together affect cognitive aging in adults 55+
A long-term study will look at how things like activity, smoking, drinking, body weight, and social connections influence brain aging in adults 55 and older.
-
Music-based approaches to relieve pain in adults
A research network is testing how music-based interventions and new technologies can help adults manage acute and chronic pain.
-
Data-driven QM/MM and QM-Cluster Modeling for Enzyme Reactions
A data-guided approach will use machine learning to make QM/MM and QM-cluster modeling of enzymes faster and more accurate, helping us understand how enzymes work and aiding future drug design.
-
Rotary chair and VNG system to advance vestibular care and research in children
A grant to buy a high-tech vestibular testing system for the University of Memphis to study balance and brain development from infancy through childhood.
-
Technology and Training Dissemination Core for temporally-precise interventions
This grant supports creating and sharing tools, training, and infrastructure to help researchers design and use just-in-time, wearable-enabled health interventions for chronic diseases.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.