Effectiveness of Music Frequencies on Mitigating the Symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Patients
In our STEM I course we focus on our independent science project in which we work on a STEM project that interests us. Dr. Kevin Crowthers Teachers this course and has a lot of background in biology-related-projects. We work on several projects throughout the year, such as the build-something project, and group work to build skills for our STEM Projects. We have a fair in February to present all of our projects.
In this study, we used nuerofeedback as a reason to distinguish between the impacts certain genres of music has on ADHD patients in terms of concentration. Classical music was shown to have the greatest impacts on increasing beta brain waves to help the user focus.
Using binaural beats, this study aims to determine what genre of music is the most effective in mitigating the symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) patients. Due to its known properties in helping students focus while studying, classical music was hypothesized to be more effective than other genres of music in decreasing the symptoms of ADHD. ADHD is a disorder in which a patient has periods of heightened hyperactivity. This is caused by an imbalance of theta and beta brain waves in the brain's prefrontal cortex. Binaural beats are a method of changing brain waves using different frequencies playing simultaneously. However, music, despite having multiple frequencies, has not been used as a method for inducing binaural beats, which is what this study tested. There was a control group consisting of subjects not diagnosed with the disorder and an experimental group of patients diagnosed with ADHD in the experiment. Both groups were given a Rubic Cube to hone in on concentration skills. They listened to different genres of music that exhibited binaural beats for 8 minutes, with an EEG to measure changes in brainwaves. Listening to classical music can be used to help ADHD patients mitigate their symptoms and help them focus on work while also providing them with a cost-effective way to do so in comparison to methods that aren't as effective. This research demonstrates how music can be used to mitigate symptoms of mental disorders and furthers the research in binaural beats.
You can view all written documents and the Research Proposal for this STEM Project here!
With the analysis of binaural beats in neurofeedback, in different genres of music, which genre is more effective in mitigating the symptoms of ADHD patients?
The genre of music that is hypothesized in decreasing the symptoms of ADHD patients in classical music.
ADHD is a significant problem in which the user has difficulty paying attention, excessive amounts of hyperactivity, and impulsive behavior (Adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) - Symptoms and Causes, 2023). Binaural beats have been used in previous studies to impact theta and beta to decrease ADHD symptoms. In ADHD, there are an increased amount of theta waves and a lack of beta waves (Nunez-Jarmillo et al., 2021), which is a significant marker of the disorder.
Previous studies that have implemented the idea of using binaural beats and frequencies to decrease symptoms of ADHD overall have been unexplored in the neurology field. These studies have tried manipulating the gamma brain waves (Rakhshan et al., 2022) or theta, beta, and gamma brainwaves (Ingendoh et al., 2023). While these studies did prove to be partially successful, drawbacks of the studies include the testing strategy and how they failed to implement binaural beats for a sufficient period, as well as the EEG technology used. Using music frequencies, instead of regular frequencies, could provide an approachable and easily accessible way to mitigate symptoms.
The experiment consisted of two groups, one that does have ADHD (experimental group), and one that does not (control group). Both groups had their brain waves tested while the person was being exposed to music. The equipment, amount of time the participant was exposed to binaural beats, and overall testing strategy were kept constant throughout the experiment. During the experiment, the OpenBCI 8-channel Cyton Biosensing Board EEG was used to test their brain waves while listening to song(s) from a specific genre of music, using binaural beats to simulate this. The participant's brainwaves, specifically the ones known to cause ADHD (beta and theta waves) in the prefrontal cortex of the brain, were analyzed during the experiment to conclude any impacts the music may have made. Due to the fact that ADHD is more prevalent or has the majority of its symptoms affected in the prefrontal cortex of the brain, this area was prioritized and focused on during studying to determine the impact on ADHD (Browdey, 2023).
This is the projected beta wave pattern in the brain generated during binaural beats, in node 1 and 2 of the brain
During testing, it was noted that Classical music, as well as Electronic Dance Music, projected more beta waves while the user was listening to these genres of music.
The present study was conducted to get an understanding of how classical music compares to other music genres inducing concentration and mitigating ADHD symptoms. The tests conducted measured the effectiveness of different genres of music on increasing the amount of beta waves in the brain. During the testing phase, it was noted that while classical music was the best genre to listen to increase beta wave concentration and mitigate theta waves, there was also a slight increase in beta wave concentration as the user was listening to “Techno” music, or the Electrical Dance Music Genre. This is suspected to be due to the lack of lyrics in these two genres of music, which enables the user to focus more on the frequencies of the notes, which are kept in a constant pattern in music, causing the user to be exposed to a more constant rate of frequencies, increasing the beta waves of the patient more. This study could help patients suffering with the mental disorder have a cost-effective and effective solution to mitigate their symptoms. Further implications would be researching more on how lyrics could impact the effectiveness of music helping with concentration, as well as how personal preference could impact the effectiveness of music genres in terms of concentration.
Adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)—Symptoms and causes. (2023, January 25). Mayo Clinic. Retrieved November 17, 2023, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/adult-adhd/symptoms-causes/syc-20350878
Browdey, D. ADHD Brain vs ‘Normal’ Brain: Understanding the Differences. (2023, November 13). Psycom. https://www.psycom.net/adhd/adhd-brain-vs-normal-brain
Ingendoh, R. M., Posny, E. S., and Heine, A. (2023). Binaural beats to entrain the brain? A systematic review of the effects of binaural beat stimulation on brain oscillatory activity, and the implications for psychological research and intervention. PLOS ONE, 18(5), e0286023. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0286023
Núñez-Jaramillo, L., Herrera-Solís, A., and Herrera-Morales, W. V. (2021). ADHD: Reviewing the Causes and Evaluating Solutions. Journal of Personalized Medicine, 11(3), 166. https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm11030166
Rakhshan, V., Hassani-Abharian, P., Joghataei, M., Nasehi, M., and Khosrowabadi, R. (2022). Effects of the Alpha, Beta, and Gamma Binaural Beat Brain Stimulation and Short-Term Training on Simultaneously Assessed Visuospatial and Verbal Working Memories, Signal Detection Measures, Response Times, and Intrasubject Response Time Variabilities: A Within-Subject Randomized Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial. BioMed Research International, 2022, 8588272. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/8588272