EEG-Guided Binaural Beat Audio for Stress
What You Need to Know Before You Apply
What is the purpose of this trial?
Performance-related stress can impair sustained attention, inhibitory control, and memory. This randomized, double-blinded, sham-controlled parallel-arm trial evaluates whether a 30-minute EEG-guided binaural beat audio intervention reduces subjective stress/performance anxiety and improves cognition, and whether it changes task-related brain reactivity measured by fMRI. The intervention uses real-time single-electrode EEG recorded over the left prefrontal cortex to dynamically adjust binaural beat frequencies to guide the brain toward a target state; the sham condition uses non-binaural music delivered through identical headphones.
Adult music majors preparing for an upcoming concert will complete pre- and post-intervention fMRI sessions during cognitive/music tasks (Stop Signal Reaction Task, Music Reading Task, Music Memory Retrieval Task) and complete visual analog scales (VAS) assessing performance anxiety, stress, and related subjective states. The primary outcomes include fMRI task-related activity in stress-regulation regions (dlPFC, amygdala, hippocampus), behavioral inhibition indices from the stop-signal task, music memory retrieval accuracy, and VAS-reported stress/performance anxiety.
Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?
This trial is for adult music majors at Texas Tech University who are preparing for a concert in the next 3 months and can read music notation. It's not suitable for those outside this group or with conditions that might interfere with the study.Inclusion Criteria
Timeline for a Trial Participant
Screening
Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial
Pre-intervention
Participants complete pre-intervention VAS and fMRI scanning, and are randomized to intervention or sham
Intervention
Participants undergo a 30-minute EEG-guided binaural beat audio session or sham session
Post-intervention
Participants complete post-intervention fMRI scanning and VAS
Follow-up
Participants are monitored for changes in stress and cognition post-intervention
What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?
Interventions
- Binaural Beat Audio
Trial Overview
The study tests if EEG-guided binaural beat audio helps reduce stress and improve cognition in musicians before a performance, compared to non-binaural audio. Participants will undergo fMRI scans while doing cognitive/music tasks before and after listening to the audio.
How Is the Trial Designed?
2
Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Placebo Group
30-minute session delivered via headphones; proprietary algorithm uses real-time single-electrode EEG from the left prefrontal cortex to dynamically adjust binaural beat frequencies.
30-minute session of music without frequency differences between ears (non-binaural), delivered via identical headphones; blinding maintained.
Find a Clinic Near You
Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
Lead Sponsor
Texas Tech University
Collaborator
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