Dataset Information

Auditory driving of the autonomic nervous system: Listening to theta-frequency binaural beats post-exercise increases parasympathetic activation and sympathetic withdrawal.

ABSTRACT: Binaural beats are an auditory illusion perceived when two or more pure tones of similar frequencies are presented dichotically through stereo headphones. Although this phenomenon is thought to facilitate state changes (e.g., relaxation), few empirical studies have reported on whether binaural beats produce changes in autonomic arousal. Therefore, the present study investigated the effects of binaural beating on autonomic dynamics [heart rate variability (HRV)] during post-exercise relaxation. Subjects (n = 21; 18-29 years old) participated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study during which binaural beats and placebo were administered over two randomized and counterbalanced sessions (within-subjects repeated-measures design). At the onset of each visit, subjects exercised for 20-min; post-exercise, subjects listened to either binaural beats ('wide-band' theta-frequency binaural beats) or placebo (carrier tones) for 20-min while relaxing alone in a quiet, low-light environment. Dependent variables consisted of high-frequency (HF, reflecting parasympathetic activity), low-frequency (LF, reflecting sympathetic and parasympathetic activity), and LF/HF normalized powers, as well as self-reported relaxation. As compared to the placebo visit, the binaural-beat visit resulted in greater self-reported relaxation, increased parasympathetic activation and increased sympathetic withdrawal. By the end of the 20-min relaxation period there were no observable differences in HRV between binaural-beat and placebo visits, although binaural-beat associated HRV significantly predicted subsequent reported relaxation. Findings suggest that listening to binaural beats may exert an acute influence on both LF and HF components of HRV and may increase subjective feelings of relaxation.

SUBMITTER: McConnell PA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4231835 | biostudies-other | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Auditory driving of the autonomic nervous system: Listening to theta-frequency binaural beats post-exercise increases parasympathetic activation and sympathetic withdrawal.

McConnell Patrick A PA Froeliger Brett B Garland Eric L EL Ives Jeffrey C JC Sforzo Gary A GA

Frontiers in psychology 20141114

Binaural beats are an auditory illusion perceived when two or more pure tones of similar frequencies are presented dichotically through stereo headphones. Although this phenomenon is thought to facilitate state changes (e.g., relaxation), few empirical studies have reported on whether binaural beats produce changes in autonomic arousal. Therefore, the present study investigated the effects of binaural beating on autonomic dynamics [heart rate variability (HRV)] during post-exercise relaxation. S ...[more]

PMID: 25452734

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Project description:Background: Induction of anesthesia with propofol is associated with a disturbance in hemodynamics, in part due to its effects on parasympathetic and sympathetic tone. The impact of propofol on autonomic function is unclear. In this study, we investigated in detail the changes in the cardiac autonomic nervous system (ANS) and peripheral sympathetic outflow that occur during the induction of anesthesia. Methods: Electrocardiography and pulse photoplethysmography (PPG) signals were recorded and analyzed from 30 s before to 120 s after propofol induction. The spectrogram was derived by continuous wavelet transform with the power of instantaneous high-frequency (HFi) and low-frequency (LFi) bands extracted at 1-s intervals. The wavelet-based parameters were then divided into the following segments: (1) baseline (30 s before administration of propofol), (2) early phase (first minute after administration of propofol), and (3) late phase (second minute after administration of propofol) and compared with the same time intervals of the Fourier-based spectrum [high-frequency (HF) and low-frequency (LF) bands]. Time-dependent effects were explored using fractional polynomials and repeated-measures analysis of variance. Results: Administration of propofol resulted in reductions in HFi and LFi and increases in the LFi/HFi ratio and PPG amplitude, which had a significant non-linear relationship. Significant between-group differences were found in the HFi, LFi, and LFi/HFi ratio and Fourier-based HF and LF after dividing the segments into baseline and early/late phases. On post hoc analysis, changes in HFi, LFi, and the LFi/HFi ratio were significant starting from the early phase. The corresponding effect size (partial eta squared) was > 0.3, achieving power over 90%; however, significant decreases in HF and LF were observed only in the late phase. The PPG amplitude was increased significantly in both the early and late phases. Conclusion: Propofol induction results in significant immediate changes in ANS activity that include temporally relative elevation of cardiac sympathovagal balance and reduced sympathetic activity. Clinical Trial Registration: The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Taipei Veterans General Hospital (No. 2017-07-009CC) and is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03613961).

Project description:Data on autonomic nervous system (ANS) activations in migraine patients are quite controversial, with previous studies reporting over- and underactivation of the sympathetic as well as parasympathetic nervous system. In the present study, we explicitly aimed to assess the cranial ANS in migraine patients compared to healthy controls by applying the cold pressor test to a cohort of migraine patients in the interictal phase and measuring the pupillary response.In this prospective observational study, a strong sympathetic stimulus was applied to 20 patients with episodic migraine in the interictal phase and 20 matched controls without migraine, whereby each participant dipped the left hand into ice-cold (4 °C) water for a maximum of 5 min (cold pressor test). At baseline, 2, and 5 min during the cold pressor test, infrared monocular pupillometry was applied to quantify pupil diameter and light reflex parameters. Simultaneously, heart rate and blood pressure were measured by the external brachial RR-method at distinct time intervals to look for at least clinically relevant changes of the cardiovascular ANS.There were no significant differences between the migraine patients and controls at baseline and after 2 min of sympathetic stimulation in all the measured pupillary and cardio-vascular parameters. However, at 5 min, pupillary light reflex (PLR) constriction velocity was significantly higher in migraineurs than in controls (5.59?±?0.73 mm/s vs. 5.16?±?0.53 mm/s; unpaired t-test p?<?0.05), while both cardiovascular parameters and PLR dilatation velocity were similar in both groups at this time point.Our findings of an increased PLR constriction velocity after sustained sympathetic stimulation in interictal migraine patients suggest an exaggerated parasympathetic response of the cranial ANS. This indicates that brainstem parasympathetic dysregulation might play a significant role in migraine pathophysiology. More dedicated examination of the ANS in migraine patients might be of value for a deeper understanding of its pathophysiology.

Dataset Information

Auditory driving of the autonomic nervous system: Listening to theta-frequency binaural beats post-exercise increases parasympathetic activation and sympathetic withdrawal.

Publications

Auditory driving of the autonomic nervous system: Listening to theta-frequency binaural beats post-exercise increases parasympathetic activation and sympathetic withdrawal.

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