Binaural Pulse Modulation (BPM) as an Adjunctive Treatment for Anxiety: A Pilot Study

Gerry Leisman, Joseph Wallach, Yanin Machado-Ferrer, Mauricio Chinchilla Acosta, Abraham Gérard Meyer, Robert Lebovits, Scott Donkin

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Background: Treating psychiatric illnesses or influencing mental states with neurofeedback is challenging, likely due to the limited spatial specificity of EEG and the complications arising from the inadequate signal-to-noise ratio reduction of single-trial EEG. Objective: This pilot study aimed to investigate the feasibility of employing a binaural pulse mode-modulation (BPM) device to reduce anxiety by self-regulation. We desired to determine whether anxiety could be significantly reduced or regulated using BPM-type systems. Methods: Sixty adult participants were examined with self-reported anxiety tests (COVID Stress Scale, Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7, Beck Depression Inventory-II), which were completed before treatment, after four weeks, and after 12 weeks post-treatment. This BPM device produced two frequencies which combined to create a binaural pulse through differential auditory tone presentations. The participant calibrated the suitable target tone for optimal treatment efficacy. Each participant adjusted the binaural pulse to enhance the emotional intensity felt when envisioning an experience with comparable emotional significance or while performing a cognitive task while concurrently listening to music. The “treatment” relied on the individual’s regulation of binaural pulses to obtain the desired state. The training concentrated on particular facets of their psychological challenges while listening to an auditory tone, adjusting a knob until the sound amplified the intended emotional state. Another knob was turned to intensify the emotional state associated with distress reduction. Results: On the self-reported measures, the BPM treatment group was significantly better than the sham treatment (control) groups (p < 0.01). These findings indicate that over the four-week intervention period, BPM was similarly effective. On the GAD-7, the significant difference over time was noted before treatment and at the end of treatment for the experimental group, with the average GAD-7 score at the end of treatment being significantly lower (p < 0.01). Conclusions: BPM seems to induce a short-term alteration in self-reported distress levels during therapy. This study’s limitations are examined, and recommendations for future research are provided.

Original languageEnglish
Article number147
JournalBrain Sciences
Volume15
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 31 Jan 2025

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 by the authors.

Keywords

  • anxiety
  • binaural pulse modulation
  • distress
  • fMRI
  • neurofeedback
  • qEEG

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Neuroscience

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