Affiliation:
1. Assistive Technology Laboratory (NTA), Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia 38400-902, Brazil
2. Hotchkiss Brain Institute (HBI), Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
Abstract
Similar to short-term memory, working memory cannot hold information for a long period of time. Studies have shown that binaural beats (BB) can stimulate the brain through sound, affecting working memory function. Although the literature is not conclusive regarding the effects of BB stimulation (stim) on memory, some studies have shown that gamma-BB stim (40 Hz) can increase attentional focusing and improve visual working memory. To better understand the relationship between BB stim and memory, we collected electroencephalographic data (EEG) from 30 subjects in 3 phases—a baseline, with gamma-BB stim, and control stim—in a rest state, with eyes closed, and while performing memory tasks. Both EEG data and memory task performance were analyzed. The results showed no significant changes in the memory task performance or the EEG data when comparing experimental and control conditions. We concluded that brain entrainment was not achieved with our parameters of gamma-BB stimulation when analyzing EEG power spectral density (PSD) and memory task performance. Hence, we suggest that other aspects of EEG data, such as connectivity and correlations with task performance, should also be analyzed for future studies.
Funder
Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior—Brasil
Post-Graduation Program of Electrical Engineering Faculty of the Federal University of Uberlândia
Subject
Health Information Management,Health Informatics,Health Policy,Leadership and Management