Studies have indicated that binaural beats affect cognitive functions, including improved memory and attention. But how do they affect the brain?” I’m glad you asked. Now that you know what binaural beats are and how the brain processes them, you’re probably thinking, “That’s a lot of neuroscience information about binaural beats. 4,5 The non-lemniscal pathway, also known as the reticular sensory pathway, carries the stimuli to be processed into sensory messages like emotion and attention (Figure 3).įigure 3: The non-lemniscal pathway carries the auditory information from the cochlea to parts of the brain that trigger responses like emotion. The vestibulocochlear nerve carries the potential to the auditory processing centers in the brain, most notably the primary auditory cortex (Figure 2). 5 An organ in the inner ear, called the organ of Corti, converts the vibrations into a neural action potential. 3,4 The frequencies enter the ear canal and cause vibrations in the middle and inner ear. 3 The lemniscal pathway is the primary physical pathway that carries sound waves from the cochlea to the primary auditory complex (Figure 1). The brain processes these sound waves through the auditory pathway, which involves the lemniscal and non-lemniscal pathways. The difference is that monaural beats are presented simultaneously to both ears whereas the binaural beat is formed in the brain when the two different frequencies are presented to each ear separately. 1,2 To summarize, monaural and binaural beats are produced by the difference between two frequencies. The difference of the two tones again produces this form of beat, however, unlike binaural beats, this frequency is objective and is heard through both ears. 2 In addition to binaural beats, monaural beats are another form of ABS used to cause cognitive responses. 1 Recently, ABS has been sought out to be used as a form of mindfulness to help improve mood and induce relaxation. 1 These sound waves are processed in the area of the brain called the superior olivary nucleus and the resulting frequency, referred to as the beat, is the difference between the two original sound waves. How are you feeling? Are you still stressed? Then let me tell you about binaural beats.īinaural beats are a form of auditory beat stimulation (ABS) and auditory illusion where two different sound frequencies are introduced to each ear separately. You’re probably stressed out, having a hard time focusing, and *most likely* losing sleep. Finals are just around the corner, and you’re scrambling to study for that last exam.
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