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The rapid increase of technologically enhanced listening platforms gives listeners access to music with ever-increasing ease and ubiquity, giving rise to the suggestion that we should now conceptualize music as a resource similar to water; something that is utilized to achieve everyday goals. This paper proposes that music is a utilitarian resource employed by listeners to augment cognitive, emotional, behavioral, and physiological aspects of the self. To better explore these notions this paper examines the potential role of the “functions of music,” first espoused by Alan P. Merriam in 1964. Merriam suggested music has a situational use and an underlying function (music’s ability to alter the self through listening). The research presented here asserts that listeners interact with specific musical materials to achieve or orientate themselves towards contextually-rooted goals. Reinforcing Tia DeNora’s suggestion that music is a “technology of the self” this research presents the results of a 41 publication meta-analysis exploring the possible functions of music. The resultant Aggregate Thematic Functions Framework (ATF framework) identifies 45 possible utilitarian functions of music, spread across five domains of action. The framework also proposes a meta-domain and an emotional sub-domain.

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is one of the most common sleep disorders. The purpose of this paper is a case description of the patient suffering from RLS, concurrent with numerous clinical problems. In our patient, during long-term therapy with a dopamine agonist (ropinirole), the phenomenon of the augmentation, defined as an increase in the severity of the RLS symptoms, was observed. The quality of life of the patient was significantly deteriorated. Due to the augmentation of RLS symptoms the dopaminergic drug was gradually withdrawn, and the gabapentin as a second-line drug for the treatment of RLS was introduced. Because of the large increase of both insomnia and RLS symptoms during the reduction of ropinirole dose, clonazepam was temporarily introduced. In addition, in the neurological assessment of the distal parts of the lower limb sensory disturbances of vibration were found. The neurographic study confirmed axonal neuropathy of the sural nerves, which explained an incomplete response to dopaminergic medications. However, gabapentin treatment in the dose recommended in neuropathies was impossible due to bothersome side effects. Another important issue in the treatment of the patient were depressive symptoms and the fact that the majority of used antidepressants (mirtazapine, mianserin, tricyclic antidepressants) increase the severity of RLS. Among antidepressants recommended for the treatment of depression in patients with RLS (such as bupropion, moclobemide, reboxetine, tianeptine and agomelatine) only agomelatine exhibits promoting sleep properties. Because of the concomitant insomnia, this drug was applied in our patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]