Potential Applications of Binaural Stimulation in Patients with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Recent research on the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder supports the efficacy of non-pharmacological therapies with neuromodulatory, anxiolytic, sedative, and stress-protective effects. Binaural stimulation, which can synchronize the brain’s electrical activity and thereby modulate the patient’s psychological and functional status, appears especially promising.

AIM: The work aimed to assess the efficacy of binaural stimulation in improving the psychological and functional status of patients with post-traumatic stress disorders.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective, controlled, randomized comparative study was conducted in 65 patients diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. Participants were divided into two groups using a fixed randomization procedure. Patients in group 1 (control group, n=32) received conventional auditory stimulation through headphones. Patients in group 2 (treatment group, n=33) received binaural stimulation, which involved delivering auditory signals of varying frequencies to the right and left ears. The efficacy of binaural stimulation was assessed by changes in heart rate variability parameters, Clinician-Administered Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Scale (CAPS) scores, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory scores, and Well-being, Activity, Mood (WAM) questionnaire scores, as well as biochemical and hormonal markers.

RESULTS: At baseline, patients with post-traumatic stress disorder had increased activity of stress-response mechanisms, decreased activity of stress-limiting systems, higher levels of reactive anxiety, decreased well-being, activity, and mood scores, and a high severity and incidence of symptoms. Binaural beats activated antistress mechanisms aimed at improving patients’ psychological and functional status, with increased activity of the body’s hormonal and biochemical stress-limiting systems. The findings of correlation adaptometry revealed a decrease in the correlation between the examined parameters, indicating a reduction in the severity of the condition.

CONCLUSIONS: Courses of binaural beats therapy were found to be highly effective in improving the psychological and functional status of patients with post-traumatic stress disorder. Correlational adaptometry, which was used as an additional tool for objectifying the findings, confirmed that the group that received courses of binaural beats therapy achieved greater clinical improvement, along with enhanced regulatory capacity for maintaining the adaptive properties of self-regulating functional systems.

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About the authors

Sergey A. Fedorov

ACSMA

Email: fedorov@acsma.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0003-4920-5982
SPIN-code: 8105-3619
Russian Federation, Moscow

Sergey N. Nagornev

Russian Scientific Center of Surgery named after academician B.V. Petrovsky

Author for correspondence.
Email: drnag@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-1190-1440
SPIN-code: 2099-3854

MD, Dr. Sci. (Medicine), Professor

Russian Federation, Moscow

Valery K. Frolkov

Russian Scientific Center of Surgery named after academician B.V. Petrovsky

Email: fvk49@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-1277-5183
SPIN-code: 3183-0883

Dr. Sci. (Biology), Professor

Russian Federation, Moscow

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2. Fig. 1. Changes in mean absolute correlation during binaural beats therapy courses in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder.

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СМИ зарегистрировано Федеральной службой по надзору в сфере связи, информационных технологий и массовых коммуникаций (Роскомнадзор).
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