Re: Is there a 'brain beat'?

Dear Joshua,

Hello! It is possible that some sort of generalized rhythm in the brain, lasting 3-5 seconds separated by 3-5 seconds of quiet, could exist. If so, however, it would likely have been detected by now. A very common analysis of brain activity is the electroencephalogram, which detects rythms in the summed electrical activity of thousands of cortical neuronal cells. This synchronized electrical activity shows cycles of between 1 and 20 waves per second. To my knowledge, no one has ever reported cycles of activity that are slower than this (3 cycles/minute). Since millions of EEGs have been performed since their first applications in the 1920's, surely someone would have detected the type of rhythm you have described by now. Sorry!