SynthesisActa neuropsychiatrica2026
Music and binaural beat interventions for young adults: A systematic review of effects on anxiety, sleep, and cognition.
Synthesis in Acta neuropsychiatrica, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- The impact of sound intervention on sleep quality and stress levels in college students: a randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Digital binaural beat music for perceived stress relief among discipline inspection and supervision cadres: a mixed-methods study.Frontiers in human neuroscience · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
1 author.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundYoung adults (19–24 years) commonly experience elevated rates of sleep disturbance, anxiety, and cognitive stress yet often underutilise formal mental-health services. Music therapy, binaural beats, and related auditory entrainment techniques offer accessible, non-pharmacological approaches that may enhance emotional regulation, cognition, and physiological stability.
objectiveTo systematically review interventional clinical trials published over the past decade evaluating music- and rhythm-based auditory interventions for mental-health and cognitive outcomes in young adults.
methodsA systematic search of PubMed/MEDLINE and PsycINFO (01 January 2015 – 01 January 2025) was conducted using the terms (music therapy OR binaural beats OR auditory entrainment) AND (mental health OR neurorehabilitation OR cognition OR anxiety OR depression). After screening 122 abstracts, 10 trials met inclusion criteria. Effect sizes (Cohen’s
resultsInterventions included bedtime music therapy, audiovisual stimulation, and binaural-beat exposure across laboratory, clinical, and rehabilitation settings. Most studies demonstrated significant or moderate improvements in at least one domain: anxiety reduction, stress physiology, mood regulation, sleep quality, or cognitive performance (standardised mean differences 0.3–0.6).
conclusionsEvidence suggests that music-based and binaural-beat interventions can beneficially modulate sleep, anxiety, and cognitive processes in young adults. However, heterogeneity in design and small sample sizes limit the certainty of findings. Future adequately powered randomised controlled trials should address transdiagnostic mechanisms and long-term efficacy.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.