Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)BBS-ADHDNCT07793045
Binaural Beats Stimulation for Adults With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
A study testing Music-Based Binaural Beats Stimulation and Music Listening Without Binaural Beats in people with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), run by California State University, San Bernardino at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
This study is conducted entirely in person at California State University, San Bernardino. Participation requires 12 campus visits over six weeks. Remote participation is not available, and travel expenses are not reimbursed. Participants who complete all study visits will receive a gift valued at $25. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 55 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- What is being tested?
- Music-Based Binaural Beats Stimulation and Music Listening Without Binaural Beats
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
- How many people
- 40 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 3 Mar 2026to Dec 2027
- Phase
- Interventional
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 55 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Adults aged 18 to 55 years
- Previous diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) made by a qualified healthcare professional and supported by the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale, version 1.1 (ASRS-v1.1)
- Willing to wear headphones during the listening sessions
- Able and willing to attend 12 listening sessions at the CSUSB campus conducted twice weekly over six weeks -
Who cannot join
- Anticipated absence from the study area for more than seven days during the two-month study period
- Uncorrectable hearing impairment that would prevent adequate delivery of music through headphones
- Acute psychiatric condition, such as depression
- Intellectual or developmental disability that could interfere with study participation
- Acute medical condition resulting in sensory impairment
- Initiation of, or a change in dosage of, stimulant, antipsychotic, or analgesic medication within the previous month
- Anticipated change in stimulant, antipsychotic, or analgesic medication during the study period
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
United States1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
California State University, San Bernardino
San Bernardino, California, 92407
Zhaojing Chen, Ph.D., 909-537-5358, bbsinterventionproject@gmail.com
About this study
Official title: Effects of Binaural Beats Stimulation on Attention and Memory in Adults With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
This study is conducted entirely in person at California State University, San Bernardino. Participation requires 12 campus visits over six weeks. Remote participation is not available, and travel expenses are not reimbursed. Participants who complete all study visits will receive a gift valued at $25.
This study will evaluate the feasibility and potential effects of a six-week, music-based binaural beats stimulation program in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Forty adults with ADHD will be randomly assigned to either a binaural beat stimulation group or a control group. Both groups will attend 12 supervised listening sessions over six weeks and listen to similar music for 20 minutes per session; however, only the intervention group's music will contain embedded binaural beats. Cognitive assessments will be completed before and after the intervention to evaluate changes in attention and memory. Session attendance and participant retention will also be examined to assess the feasibility and acceptability of the program.
Read the detailed description
This randomized controlled study will examine the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of a six-week, music-based binaural beats stimulation (BBS) intervention in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The study aims to enroll 40 adults between 18 and 55 years of age with a previous ADHD diagnosis. Participants will be randomly assigned to either the BBS intervention group or the control group, with approximately 20 participants in each group.
During the first study visit, participants will provide informed consent and complete demographic and mental health questionnaires. ADHD symptoms will be assessed using the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale. Participants will also complete baseline cognitive assessments using the CogniFit Research platform. The assessment battery will evaluate cognitive abilities related to attention, memory, coordination, and reasoning.
Participants will then attend 12 supervised listening sessions over six weeks, with two sessions conducted each week. Each listening session will include 20 minutes of music delivered through headphones. Participants assigned to the intervention group will listen to music containing embedded binaural beats, while participants assigned to the control group will listen to similar music without binaural beats. Before each listening session, participants will rest quietly for five minutes, after which heart rate and blood pressure will be measured and readiness to participate will be assessed.
After the six-week intervention, participants will complete the same cognitive assessment battery administered at baseline. Changes in cognitive outcomes from baseline to six weeks will be compared between the intervention and control groups. Session attendance and participant retention will also be evaluated as indicators of intervention feasibility and acceptability.
- Being tested
- Music-Based Binaural Beats Stimulation, Music Listening Without Binaural Beats
- Keywords
- Binaural Beat, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
- Medical subject headings
- Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Music-Based Binaural Beats StimulationBehavioural
Participants will receive 12 supervised binaural beats stimulation sessions over six weeks, with two sessions conducted per week. During each session, participants will listen through headphones to 20 minutes of music containing embedded binaural beats. Music will be selected based on each participant's preferred genre from available options.
Music Listening Without Binaural BeatsBehavioural
Participants will receive 12 supervised music-listening sessions over six weeks, with two sessions conducted per week. During each session, participants will listen through headphones to 20 minutes of music without embedded binaural beats. The music, listening duration, session schedule, setting, and available genre options will be similar to those provided to the experimental group.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Binaural Beats Stimulation (BBS) | Experimental | Participants receive music containing embedded binaural beats. Receives: Behavioral: Music-Based Binaural Beats Stimulation |
| Music Control | Sham comparator | Participants receive similar music without embedded binaural beats. Receives: Behavioral: Music Listening Without Binaural Beats |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Intervention Feasibility
Feasibility will be evaluated using the numbers of participants screened, eligible, and enrolled; the proportion of enrolled participants who complete the intervention and post-intervention assessments; and the number and percentage of the 12 scheduled listening sessions completed by each participant.
Measured: Throughout the six-week intervention
Participant Acceptability
Acceptability will be assessed during each intervention session by documenting changes in health status, perceived positive or negative effects, and any discomfort or concerns. After each session, participants will rate their enjoyment on a 5-point scale ranging from 1 (not at all enjoyable) to 5 (extremely enjoyable) and provide open-ended feedback about their mood, emotions, relaxation, and other perceived effects. Responses will be summarized descriptively.
Measured: Throughout the six-week intervention
Secondary outcomes (2)
Change in Attention Performance
Change from baseline in attention-related performance measured using the CogniFit cognitive assessment battery, including the Psychomotor Vigilance Test, Stroop Test, and Divided Attention Test. Changes of the scores will be interpreted according to the scoring method for each CogniFit test.
Measured: Baseline and immediately after the six-week intervention
Change in Memory Performance
Change from baseline in memory-related performance measured using the CogniFit cognitive assessment battery, including the Visual Working Memory Span Test and Multimodal Lexical Memory Test. Changes of the scores will be interpreted according to the scoring method for each CogniFit test.
Measured: Baseline and immediately after the six-week intervention
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted28 Aug 2026
- Study start3 Mar 2026
- Primary completionDec 2027 (estimated)
- Study completionDec 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (3)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)Studies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- Participants are randomly assigned in parallel to either a six-week music-based binaural beat stimulation intervention or a control condition involving similar music without binaural beats.
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Participant
- Enrolment
- 40 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- California State University, San Bernardino
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Zhaojing Chen, California State University, San Bernardino
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07793045
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- IRB-FY2026-171
- Acronym
- BBS-ADHD
- Status last verified
- Sep 2026
- First submitted
- 25 Aug 2026
- Last updated
- 21 Sep 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No: Individual participant data will not be shared because the dataset contains sensitive mental health and cognitive information, and external sharing of participant-level data is not included in the current informed-consent and Institutional Review Board (IRB)-approved data-management procedures. Deidentified aggregate findings will be disseminated through conference presentations and peer-reviewed publications.
Publications
Kennel S, Taylor AG, Lyon D, Bourguignon C. Pilot feasibility study of binaural auditory beats for reducing symptoms of inattention in children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. J Pediatr Nurs. 2010 Feb;25(1):3-11. doi: 10.1016/j.pedn.2008.06.010. Epub 2009 Jun 3.
PubMed 20117669Posner J, Polanczyk GV, Sonuga-Barke E. Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Lancet. 2020 Feb 8;395(10222):450-462. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(19)33004-1. Epub 2020 Jan 23.
PubMed 31982036Basu S, Banerjee B. Potential of binaural beats intervention for improving memory and attention: insights from meta-analysis and systematic review. Psychol Res. 2023 Jun;87(4):951-963. doi: 10.1007/s00426-022-01706-7. Epub 2022 Jul 16.
PubMed 35842538