Can music change your brain in real time? We put it to the test.
A neuroscientist, a tabla maestro, and a fascinating look at what music does to the brain.
On August 29, amid the music and cultural exchange, one experiment added an intriguing twist that caught everyone's attention. Charles Vigilia, Clinical Director at Karma TMS, fitted an EEG cap onto Dr. Cameron Good's head. He checked every sensor until each one gave a clean signal.
Dr. Good is a neuroscientist and sleep specialist. That evening, he was also the subject of an experiment led by our founder, Dr. Keerthy Sunder, a double board-certified psychiatrist and addiction medicine specialist, alongside Cem Guler of the European Neurolive project, which studies the brain during live performance. The event was co-hosted with Karma TMS.
The method was simple. First, record Dr. Good’s brain activity at rest. Then record it again as he listened to live music. Finally, compare the two.
There was one interesting detail. Dr. Good had never experienced Indian classical music before that evening. The tabla was played by Anubrata Chatterjee, a world-renowned percussionist who trained under the legendary Anindo Chatterjee.
What the Brain Revealed
When the team placed the two recordings side by side, the difference was striking.
On the left was Dr. Good’s brain at baseline, eyes open, before the music began. On the right was the same brain, eyes still open, listening to the tabla. The green areas showed alpha activity, a pattern of brain waves commonly associated with relaxed wakefulness.
Alpha waves are often strongest when we are awake but relaxed, particularly with our eyes closed. Opening our eyes or concentrating intensely can suppress them. Here, alpha activity became more prominent while Dr. Good listened to the tabla, even with his eyes open and the sounds of a live performance around him.
It was a striking observation. Could the music itself have helped his brain settle into a more relaxed state? The results offered a reason to investigate further.
An Ancient Tradition, Now Under Scientific Study
Indian classical musicians have long understood that different ragas can evoke different emotional states. Some are associated with calm, others with longing, energy or joy. What was once understood largely through musical practice and experience is now becoming a subject of scientific investigation.
In 2025, researchers from IIT Mandi and IIT Kanpur studied how Indian classical ragas influence brain activity in 40 participants. Using EEG-based brain mapping, they found changes in patterns associated with attention and emotional regulation. The findings, published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, point to the potential of specific ragas to influence how we focus and process emotions.
Read the report.
Our experiment in Joshua Tree explored a related question through a live musical performance. Rather than studying a group of listeners, the team recorded one person's brain before and during the music. The result offered a compelling glimpse of what further research might uncover.
What Could This Mean for Mental Health?
Dr. Sunder is careful to call this a beginning. It was one listener, one evening, and a single case study. The findings are not proof that music can treat a medical condition, but they raise important questions worth pursuing.
Could music help people who struggle with sleep? Could it support people living with anxiety or persistent stress? Could specific musical experiences one day complement existing treatments for mental health?
The Sunder Foundation intends to explore these questions through further research, involving more listeners, different kinds of music and studies that can be tested and evaluated by other scientists.
For Dr. Dave Baron, sports psychiatrist for Olympic Team USA, the significance goes beyond the brain scans. He sees an opportunity to connect scientific discovery with something people already experience in their everyday lives: the power of music.
As he put it:
“This isn’t just about science. It’s about quality of life and quality of health.”
Watch the Experiment
What does a live musical performance look like when you can see the brain responding in real time? Watch the film from Joshua Tree to see Dr. Keerthy Sunder, Dr. Cameron Good, Cem Guler and Dr. Dave Baron explore the connection between Indian classical music and brain activity.
Help Us Take This Research Further
There is much more to learn about the relationship between music, the brain and mental health. We welcome researchers, clinicians, musicians and donors who share our interest in exploring these questions.
Get in touch with the Sunder Foundation to help take this work forward.