NCT06540157

Binaural Beat Music Combined With Rhythmic Photic Stimulation on Depression

Investigating the Effectiveness of Binaural Beat Music Combined With Rhythmic Photic Stimulation on Depression, Quality of Life, and Heart Rate Variability in Elderly Patients With Depression

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 48 (actual)
• Sponsor: National Cheng Kung University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 65 Years – 90 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

Background: Previous studies have suggested that non-pharmacological treatments, such as binaural beat music (BBM) and rhythmic photic stimulation (RPS), may help improve depressive symptoms and enhance quality of life. However, their effectiveness in elderly patients with depression remains unclear. Objectives: This study aims to investigate the effects of combining BBM and RPS on improving depression, quality of life, and heart rate variability (HRV) in elderly patients with depression. Methods: This study was conducted as a single-blind randomized controlled trial. Forty-eight elderly patients with depression were recruited from a long-term care institution in Taiwan and randomly assigned to either the BBM and RPS group or the Sham group. Participants received 20 minutes of intervention daily, Monday to Friday, for 12 consecutive weeks. During the intervention, participants in the BBM and RPS group listened to 10Hz BBM (embedded with classic old songs) and wore RPS glasses that provided 10Hz light stimulation. In contrast, participants in the Sham group listened to classic old songs and wore RPS glasses without the 10Hz light stimulation.

Conditions

• Depression

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Binaural Beat Music (BBM) Combined with Rhythmic Photic Stimulation (RPS)	Participants rested on a chair for 10 minutes before the intervention. Participants wore over-ear stereo headphones and RPS glasses, receiving 20 minutes of 10Hz BBM (embedded with classic old songs as mask music) and RPS. The BBM and RPS glasses were purchased from George Szeless's mindLightz.
OTHER	Sham group	Participants rested on a chair for 10 minutes before the intervention. Participants wore the same headphones and RPS glasses as the BBM and RPS group but listened to classic Taiwanese old songs without the 10Hz light stimulation from the RPS glasses.

Timeline

• Start date: 2024-02-01
• Primary completion: 2024-06-30
• Completion: 2024-07-25
• First posted: 2024-08-06
• Last updated: 2024-08-06

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Taiwan