EEG responses to binaural beats at four frequencies (Gao 2014)

No. The dominant EEG frequency did not shift toward the beat frequency in any condition; instead there were transient, band-specific changes in power and connectivity.

A plain-language summary from binaural's reading notes, edited by Jude Mc. Last updated 10 November 2026. Not medical advice.

The question: Does brain activity shift toward the frequency of a binaural beat?

What it found

• No brainwave entrainment or frequency-following response was observed: the dominant EEG frequency did not shift toward the beat frequency in any condition.
• Delta and alpha beats decreased theta and alpha relative power and increased beta relative power; beta beats decreased frontal theta relative power.
• Theta-band anterior–posterior phase locking increased in the last minute of most conditions.
• Effects were often transient, appearing and then vanishing.

Limits

• Small sample (n=13) and no behavioural outcome, so cognitive relevance is unproven.
• Effects are subtle, discontinuous and spatially scattered; the authors flag some as possible electrode or paste artifact.
• Exploratory, single session, not replicated, with only four single frequencies at one carrier.
• The note is based on the accepted manuscript, not the final copyedited version.

Where this sits

More in the library on what happens in the brain. For the wider picture, read What are binaural beats?.

This is our plain-language reading of the paper. It is not medical advice, and one study rarely settles a question.