Analysis of the effect of 6-Hz binaural beats on electroencephalographic and autonomic parameters of healthy individuals: An exploratory study.

Binaural beats (BB) are a non-acoustic perception generated when two pure tones with a slight mismatch in frequency are presented separately to each ear. The aims of our study were to analyze the ability of 6-Hz BB in entraining cortical activity, altering cortical connectivity, and influencing Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) functioning to evaluate, in future studies, their application in improving compliance with Non-Invasive Ventilation (NIV) in critically ill patients. Twenty healthy volunteers underwent four 10-min experimental auditory conditions while their electroencephalographic and polygraphic activities were recorded: Resting-state, 6-Hz BB, 6-Hz monaural beats (MB), and random noise (RN). Frequency analysis and analysis of lagged-phase connectivity were computed through eLORETA. Heart rate variability, respiratory rate, and pulse transit time were analyzed as indicators of ANS activity. 6-Hpz BB entrained cortical activity at the beat frequency in the left cuneus and precuneus, in contrast with other experimental conditions. All auditory stimuli increased the interhemispheric lagged-phase connectivity between auditory cortices. Contrary to MB and RN, BB induced only minimal changes in ANS parameters. 6-Hz BB is effective in entraining cortical activity and induces only minimal changes in ANS parameters. These findings support the future use of BB as tools for increasing NIV compliance.