Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care, Toronto, Ontario, M6A 2E1, Canada.
Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5G 2M9, Canada.
Sci Rep. 2020 Apr 24;10(1):7002. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-63980-y.
This study investigated whether binaural beat stimulation could accelerate the training outcome in an attentional blink (AB) task. The AB refers to the lapse in detecting a target T2 in rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) after the identification of a preceding target T1. Binaural beats (BB) are assumed to entrain neural oscillations and support cognitive function. Participants were assigned into two groups and presented with BB sounds while performing the AB task on three subsequent days in a cross-over design. Group A was presented with 40-Hz BB during the first day and 16 Hz during the second day, while the order of beat frequencies was reversed in Group B. No sound was presented on the third day. MEG recordings confirmed a strong entrainment of gamma oscillations during 40-Hz BB stimulation and smaller gamma entrainment with 16-Hz BB. The rhythm of the visual stimulation elicited 10-Hz oscillations in occipital MEG sensors which were of similar magnitude for both BB frequencies. The AB performance did not increase within a session. However, participants improved between sessions, with overall improvement equal in both groups. Group A improved more after the first day than the second day. In contrast, group B gained more from the 40 Hz stimulation on the second day than from 16-Hz stimulation on the first day. Taken together, 40-Hz BB stimulation during training accelerates the training outcome. The improvement becomes evident not immediately, but after consolidation during sleep. Therefore, auditory beats stimulation is a promising method of non-invasive brain stimulation for enhancing training and learning which is well-suited to rehabilitation training.
本研究旨在探讨双耳节拍刺激是否能加速注意瞬脱（AB）任务的训练效果。AB 是指在快速序列视觉呈现（RSVP）中识别前一个目标 T1 后，检测到后续目标 T2 的能力下降。双耳节拍（BB）被认为可以使神经振荡同步，并支持认知功能。参与者被分为两组，在交叉设计的三天内，在完成 AB 任务的同时分别接受 40Hz 和 16Hz 的 BB 声音刺激。在第一天，A 组接受 40Hz 的 BB 刺激，第二天接受 16Hz 的 BB 刺激，而 B 组则相反。第三天没有声音刺激。MEG 记录证实，在 40Hz 的 BB 刺激下，γ 振荡的同步性很强，而在 16Hz 的 BB 刺激下，γ 同步性较小。视觉刺激的节律在枕部 MEG 传感器中引发了 10Hz 的振荡，两种 BB 频率的振荡幅度相似。在一次训练过程中，AB 表现没有提高。然而，参与者在不同的训练阶段表现出了改善，两组的总体改善程度相当。A 组在第一天后的改善程度高于第二天，而 B 组在第二天的 40Hz 刺激后的改善程度高于第一天的 16Hz 刺激。总之，训练期间的 40Hz BB 刺激加速了训练效果。这种改善不是立即显现的，而是在睡眠中巩固后才变得明显。因此，听觉节拍刺激是一种很有前途的非侵入性脑刺激方法，可以增强训练和学习效果，非常适合康复训练。
