Frontiers in Psychiatry (Jun 2015)

Eliminating the attentional blink through binaural beats: A case for tailored cognitive enhancement

  • Susan A. Reedijk,
  • Susan A. Reedijk,
  • Anne eBolders,
  • Anne eBolders,
  • Lorenza S Colzato,
  • Lorenza S Colzato,
  • Bernhard eHommel,
  • Bernhard eHommel

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2015.00082
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 6

Abstract

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Enhancing human cognitive performance is a topic that continues to spark scientific interest. Studies into cognitive enhancement techniques often fail to take inter-individual differences into account, however, which leads to underestimation of the effectiveness of these techniques. The current study investigated the effect of binaural beats, a cognitive enhancement technique, on attentional control in an attentional blink task. As predicted from a neurocognitive approach to cognitive control, high-frequency binaural beats eliminated the attentional blink, but only in individuals with low spontaneous eye-blink rates (indicating low striatal dopamine levels). This suggests that the way in which cognitive enhancement techniques, such as binaural beats, affect cognitive performance depends on inter-individual differences.

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