Effects of music therapy on major depressive disorder: A study of prefrontal hemodynamic functions using fNIRS.

•This is the first time NIRS has been used to investigate the effects of music therapy on Oxy-Hb changes in the PFC of MDD patients.•Ten days’ continuous music therapy via the ‘S’ sequence intervention can ease the symptoms for mild and moderate MDD patients.•The specific effects of music therapy in MDD patients occur through activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC).