Effectiveness of Brainwave Entrainment in Alpha Band on Working Memory, Anti-Saccade and Anxiety Level of Anxious Participants

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of Brainwave Entrainment in alpha band on working memory, anti-saccade and anxiety level of anxious participants. The present study is a quasi-experimental project of pre-test-post-test with control group. In this regard, after screening 250 university students, 30 anxious participants were selected by Beck anxiety inventory and randomly divided into one experimental group and one control group (15 groups each). All participants were assessed in the pre-test and post-test stages by the Corsi Blocks Tapping test, Antisaccade Task and Beck Anxiety inventory. Participants in the experimental groups received 10 Hz binaural beats for 30 minutes for 5 days a week in a period of one month. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance. The findings showed that 10 Hz binaural beats (alpha bands) significantly improved pasticipant's working memory, increased antisaccade and decreased anxiety level. Therefore, brainwave entrainment in the alpha band is recommended as a non-invasive intervention method to reduce the level of anxiety and improve cognitive functions.

Keywords

• anxiety
• antisaccade
• brainwave entrainment
• working memory