Immediate effects of binaural beat stimulation on prefrontal cortical activation after cycling exercise: an electroencephalography-based study.

Binaural beat stimulation (BBS) has been shown to activate the cerebral cortex and promote physical and mental relaxation. This study investigated the immediate effects of theta-frequency BBS following cycling exercise on prefrontal cortical activation in healthy adults. Sixty healthy adults were recruited from the community using convenient sampling. Each participant completed a 20-min cycling exercise on two consecutive days. In a randomized order, one day was followed by a 20-min wide-band theta-frequency (5.5-8.5 Hz) BBS combined with pink noise and the other day by a sham BBS intervention. An eight-channel dry-electrode electroencephalography system was used to record the changes of prefrontal cortical activation at six time points before and after the cycling exercise. A total of 52 participants completed the study. Compared to the sham stimulus, the theta-frequency BBS combined with pink noise significantly enhanced the theta and alpha wave powers. Power changes in the left and right prefrontal cortices and the frontal midline regions (r=0.28-0.51, p<0.05) across multiple time points indicated an immediate enhancement of prefrontal cortical activation. This preliminary study suggests that receiving wide-band theta-frequency BBS after20 minutes of cycling exercise may modulate prefrontal cortex activity. Given its non-invasive and simple nature, BBS warrants further exploratory research to determine its potential role as a supplementary tool in post-exercise recovery strategies.