Evidence that the brain’s ability to control thinking relies on beta rhythms • Hacker News Board

Re: Evidence that the brain’s ability to control thinking relies on beta rhythms

#61

Post by tree_of_item » Mon, Jan 29, 2018, 1:52 PM UTC

colordrops wrote: post #47

tree_of_item wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No it isn't. You should default to disbelieving such extraordinary claims.

Who is the arbiter of whether something is "extraordinary"? You? Perhaps you should do some cursory investigation on published research before being so quick to judgement.

To be clear, we're talking about binaural beats. There's no such published research showing any kind of results. I haven't been "quick to judgement", binaural beats have been on the level of homeopathy for over 20 years now.

Re: Evidence that the brain’s ability to control thinking relies on beta rhythms

#62

Post by cassianoleal » Mon, Jan 29, 2018, 4:41 PM UTC

delecti wrote: post #40

bitcurious wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This study of memory loss in mice found that exposing them to light at about 40hz triggered gamma waves and reduced plaque formation. https://news.mit.edu/2016/visual-stimulation-treatment-alzhe...

We perceive visual stimuli as distinct events (up to a certain frequency), but when hearing, a 40 Hz sound isn't perceived as 40 individual sounds per second.

Perhaps because it isn't? Waves are not discrete structures. 40Hz means you have 40 wave cycles per second, not 40 discrete sounds.

Re: Evidence that the brain’s ability to control thinking relies on beta rhythms

#63

Post by delecti » Mon, Jan 29, 2018, 5:01 PM UTC

cassianoleal wrote: post #62

delecti wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We perceive visual stimuli as distinct events (up to a certain frequency), but when hearing, a 40 Hz sound isn't perceived as 40 individual sounds per second.

Perhaps because it isn't? Waves are not discrete structures. 40Hz means you have 40 wave cycles per second, not 40 discrete sounds.

That's kinda what I'm getting at. My understanding is that brain waves are more akin to a CPU clock, with various processes being synchronized, than to a sound wave. If that's the case, then you wouldn't have any reason to expect sound to make a difference in your brain's clock rate, but you could reasonably expect light pulses to.

Re: Evidence that the brain’s ability to control thinking relies on beta rhythms

#64

Post by occams_chainsaw » Mon, Jan 29, 2018, 8:44 PM UTC

tw1010 wrote: post #25

chc wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Expecting your brain to operate in a way that produces certain frequencies because your ears are detecting air vibrations with those frequencies sounds extremely homeopathic.

Dismissing it based on nothing more than a feeling, and no data, is just as irrational as homeopaths.

The burden of proof is on the person making the claim, not on the skeptic.

Re: Evidence that the brain’s ability to control thinking relies on beta rhythms

#65

Post by prophesi » Thu, Feb 01, 2018, 6:54 PM UTC

chc wrote: post #50

bsanderson wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure but who said anything about music? The word music doesn't appear in the original link or in any other comment on this page, or in the link I posted.

Unless you're denying that drummers are musicians, it's my impression that beats are a kind of music.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beat_(acoustics)

If you count any sort of sound as "music", then sure.