Isochronic-style tones shift EEG power more than gamma binaural beats

Dos Anjos and colleagues recorded EEG from 28 people during four minutes each of gamma-frequency binaural beats, a newer isochronic-style pulsed tone, and plain white noise. The question was whether the newer stimulus moves brain rhythms differently from the established ones.

All three raised gamma-band power, including the white noise, which is a useful reminder that any sustained sound changes the EEG somewhat. The pulsed tone produced the largest gamma increase, and it kept climbing over the four minutes where the binaural condition plateaued. It also did something the other two did not: alpha power fell progressively while it played.

The authors present this alpha-down, gamma-up pattern as a distinctive signature that makes isochronic-style stimulation worth pursuing for cognitive and clinical uses.

Limitations. Twenty-eight people, one short session, and no behavioural or clinical outcome. Because white noise also raised gamma power, the specific contribution of the beat frequency is smaller than the headline suggests. A well-run EEG study; what it shows is that the sounds change brain rhythms, not that the change does anything for the listener.