Binaural beats and alpha coherence between the hemispheres (Solcà 2015)

Binaural beats increased coherence between the auditory cortices compared with monaural beats and rest, but at alpha frequencies, not at the beat frequency itself. There was no behavioural aftereffect on a dichotic digit task.

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

The question: Do binaural beats change how the two auditory cortices synchronize, and does listening performance change afterwards?

What it found

• Compared with monaural beats and rest, binaural beats increased interhemispheric coherence between the auditory cortices.
• Both the 10 Hz and the 4 Hz beats raised coherence selectively at alpha frequencies, not at the beat frequency itself.
• The authors argue the neural signature reflects binaural integration, not classical frequency-following entrainment.
• There was no behavioural aftereffect on the dichotic digit task.

Limits

• Very small sample (n = 9; n = 5 for the 4 Hz condition).
• Neural coherence is an intermediate biomarker, not a cognitive or behavioural outcome, and the behavioural experiment was null.
• Short 4-minute exposures in a single lab.

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.