Rebecca Lepping, Ph.D., research assistant professor in the Department of Neurology, is the lead author of a new study published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.  

The study, “Adolescents’ use of music for pain management,” investigates adolescents with chronic pain participating in an interdisciplinary pain treatment program who used music as a coping strategy for their condition. Lepping and her co-authors analyze the key themes related to different usages, which include using music as a distractor and motivator through pain management. 

“Since participants indicated that music is essential to their experiences of coping with pain, incorporating these strategies could improve the effectiveness of treatment protocols,” the study states. 

In addition to her role in the Department of Neurology, Lepping also serves as director of the Power of Music (PROMUS) Lab, which aims to understand how people engage with music to regulate various psychological and physiological conditions. Her primary research interest is in affective neuroscience, specifically the intersection of music, emotion-processing and decision-making.