INTRO / BACKGROUND



INTRODUCTION

As neurodegenerative disease continues to rise, alternative methods of healing must be investigated in order to curb the increase of deteriorating states of consciousness in individuals. The congestion of beta amyloid plaque near neuron to neuron pathways are known as signature features that lead to the development of Alzheimer’s Disease(1). If cholinergic neurons are blocked by the formation plaque or neurofibrillary tangles, the dysregulation of acetylcholine pathway from the basal forebrain will not reach astrocytes that contribute to neuronal firing essential to a health cognition, leading to apoptosis and cortical desynchronization(2). Alpha wave frequencies, between 7-11(Hz), are known to induce a focused state of mind that can improve learning.The effect of hearing two tonal frequencies, with the difference of those two frequencies falling between 7-11(Hz) will produce a binaural beat stimulation in the alpha band range, influencing the brain to believe that the information originated from brain wave activity; unless internal stimuli or external conditions contradict with the information, the reticular system will maintain homeostasis by accommodating the tone of the conscious state to the new brain wave frequency. By comparing the influence of the alpha band frequency on neural receptive field plasticity, with an electroencephalogram (EEG), in the natural cortical synchronization state of sleep versus the therapeutic binaural beat stimulation (3), it can demonstrate the similarities of the modulation of synchronization in the behavioral state, such as in low quality of sleep, and the sensory stimulation effect, such as in beta amyloid plaque. If the correlation exists, it would support therapeutic binaural beat stimulation for early onset patients with Alzheimer’s Disease by reactivating the natural brain improving learning and concentration(4).




BACKGROUND

Current research demonstrates that music can alter the state of mind of the listener. If alpha frequencies can induce similar therapeutic effects similar to classical music(5), which is known to beneficially influence cognitive development, then further inquiry on the influences of different brain wave ranges produced by binaural beats can lead to new mechanisms of understanding intelligence and concentration. Much research indicates there is a reduction of alpha brain waves in Alzheimer’s patients(6). The role of sleep is crucial to understand because it can help establish its influence on neural plasticity(7) in an effort to recreate therapeutic and non-pharmaceutical practices that regulate cortical synchronicity. The correlation between cortical synchronicity and neuronal plasticity can open up possibilities for early treatment in susceptible patients. We hypothesize that the manipulation of neural receptive field plasticity by stimulating the nucleus basalis with alpha brainwave frequencies, induced from binaural beats, will regulate cortical synchronization and improve cognitive functioning.









REFERENCES

1.Pedersen, W. A., Kloczewiak, M. A., & Blusztajn, J. K. (1996). Amyloid beta-protein reduces acetylcholine synthesis in a cell line derived from cholinergic neurons of the basal forebrain. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 93(15), 8068–8071. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.93.15.8068

2.Bennett, Michael V.l, and R.suzanne Zukin. “Electrical Coupling and Neuronal Synchronization in the Mammalian Brain.” Neuron, vol. 41, no. 4, 12 Feb. 2004, pp. 495–511., doi:10.1016/s0896-6273(04)00043-1.

3.Fink CG, Murphy GG, Zochowski M, Booth V (2013) A Dynamical Role for Acetylcholine in Synaptic Renormalization. PLoS Comput Biol 9(3): e1002939. doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1002939

4.Eckart, Cindy, et al. “Acetylcholine Modulates Human Working Memory and Subsequent Familiarity Based Recognition via Alpha Oscillations.” NeuroImage, vol. 137, 21 May 2016, pp. 61–69., doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.05.049.

5.Chaieb L, Wilpert EC, Reber TP, Fell J. Auditory beat stimulation and its effects on cognition and mood states. Frontiers in Psychiatry 2015 Dec; 6

6.Babiloni C., Frisoni G., Steriade M., Bresciani L., Binetti G., Del Percio C., Geroldi C., Miniussi C., Nobili F., Rodriguez G., Zappasodi F., Carfagna T., Rossini P.M. Frontal white matter volume and delta EEG sources negatively correlate in awake subjects with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease Clin. Neurophysiol., 117 (5) (2006), pp. 1113-1129

7.R. Stickgold, Neuroscience: A memory boost while you sleep. Nature 444, 559–560 (2006). doi:10.1038/nature05309 pmid:17086196

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