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1- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuroscience and Cognition, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
2- School of Cognitive Sciences, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM), Tehran, Iran.
3- Institute for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.
2- School of Cognitive Sciences, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM), Tehran, Iran.
3- Institute for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract:
Interval discrimination (ID), the ability to distinguish time between two consecutive sensory stimuli, is modulated by dopaminergic and serotonergic systems, with subjective variations partly related to genetic polymorphisms. Considering the importance of ID in daily life, the improvement of ID has raised interest in recent studies. Interventions using cognitive training, electrical or magnetic brain stimulation, and neurofeedback have been applied, but they all need specialized clinical settings. Therefore, Binaural beats (BB) stimulation, known to enhance various cognitive functions, could be a remedy; nevertheless, findings on its effectiveness remain controversial. In this study, we chose BB stimulation in the delta-frequency band to improve auditory ID in 39 healthy participants. ID task was performed using two-alternative forced-choice, and detection thresholds (DTs) were calculated for sub-second (standard interval=300ms) and supra-second (standard interval=1000ms) scales. Participants were genotyped for dopamine transporter (DAT), serotonin transporter (SERT), catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), and 5-HTT receptor type 2A (HTR2A) polymorphisms. We thereby found that BB intervention significantly improved ID in COMT (Val+), DAT (9R9R), and HTR2A (CC) genotypes at the supra-second scale. These findings emphasize the effectiveness of BB stimulation as a novel, accessible, and non-invasive intervention for improving ID and suggest that genetic variations of neurotransmitter systems could explain inconsistencies in BB studies.
Type of Study: Original |
Subject:
Cognitive Neuroscience
Received: 2026/01/28 | Accepted: 2026/05/11
Received: 2026/01/28 | Accepted: 2026/05/11
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