A validation study for a consumer-grade auditory-visual stimulation device

ABSTRACT

Self-care and improving one’s well-being has been growing rapidly in recent years for manifold reasons (e.g. higher workload, corona pandemic). Consumer-grade noninvasive stimulation devices are therefore on the rise to counteract the occurrence of mood disorders and burn-out symptoms. Here, we aim at investigating the impact of dynamically varying auditory-visual stimulation patterns on neural entrainment patterns and resonance phenomena. Twenty-two healthy volunteers (11 female, 25.4±5.1 years, one dropout, seven in control group) participated in the study. EEG data (64 channel;equidistant layout) were acquired pre- and during stimulation for each volunteer. Visual and auditory stimuli were presented via a headset (ATUM, NeuroBright;https//www.neurobright.co.uk/). Presentation patterns (frequency, intensity, spatial distribution) varied within a presentation session but were kept constant across all volunteers. Stimulus intensity was adjusted to individual comfort levels. Individual alpha peak frequencies (iAPF) were calculated via the power spectral density with 50% overlapping 10s epochs from pre-stimulation segments. For both, the study and the control group, a time-frequency representation was calculated for the pre- and during-stimulation segments. From this, power values were determined for different frequency-bands (iAPF, stimulation frequencies and second harmonics of the latter). Statistical analyses focused on contrasting the power values between pre- and during stimulation. Mean iAPF values were 10.25±0.99Hz for the study and 10.63±1.21Hz for the control group respectively. Both, power values at the stimulation frequencies and their second harmonics differed significantly between pre- and during stimulation (pstim=0.001;pharm=0.001) in the study group. No such difference was found for the control group (pstim=0.352;pharm=0.237). Further, neither the study nor the control group showed significant iAPF power differences (pstudy=0.035;pcontrol=0.352;alpha*=0.008). Our results suggest that lightweight, portable auditory-visual presentation devices represent an effective tool for generating entrainment and resonance effects at home. Further analyses will focus on the investigation of individual differences driving such modulatory effects. © 2022 The Author(s), published by De Gruyter.