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Müller V, Lindenberger U. Hyper-brain hyper-frequency network topology dynamics when playing guitar in quartet. Front Hum Neurosci 2024; 18:1416667. [PMID: 38919882 PMCID: PMC11196789 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2024.1416667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2024] [Accepted: 05/27/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Ensemble music performance is a highly coordinated form of social behavior requiring not only precise motor actions but also synchronization of different neural processes both within and between the brains of ensemble players. In previous analyses, which were restricted to within-frequency coupling (WFC), we showed that different frequencies participate in intra- and inter-brain coordination, exhibiting distinct network topology dynamics that underlie coordinated actions and interactions. However, many of the couplings both within and between brains are likely to operate across frequencies. Hence, to obtain a more complete picture of hyper-brain interaction when musicians play the guitar in a quartet, cross-frequency coupling (CFC) has to be considered as well. Furthermore, WFC and CFC can be used to construct hyper-brain hyper-frequency networks (HB-HFNs) integrating all the information flows between different oscillation frequencies, providing important details about ensemble interaction in terms of network topology dynamics (NTD). Here, we reanalyzed EEG (electroencephalogram) data obtained from four guitarists playing together in quartet to explore changes in HB-HFN topology dynamics and their relation to acoustic signals of the music. Our findings demonstrate that low-frequency oscillations (e.g., delta, theta, and alpha) play an integrative or pacemaker role in such complex networks and that HFN topology dynamics are specifically related to the guitar quartet playing dynamics assessed by sound properties. Simulations by link removal showed that the HB-HFN is relatively robust against loss of connections, especially when the strongest connections are preserved and when the loss of connections only affects the brain of one guitarist. We conclude that HB-HFNs capture neural mechanisms that support interpersonally coordinated action and behavioral synchrony.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viktor Müller
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ulman Lindenberger
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, Berlin, Germany
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, London, United Kingdom
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2
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Fairhurst MT, Tajadura-Jiménez A, Keller PE, Deroy O. You, me, and us: Maintaining self-other distinction enhances coordination, agency, and affect. iScience 2023; 26:108253. [PMID: 38025777 PMCID: PMC10679890 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Revised: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Coordinating our actions with others changes how we behave and feel. Here, we provide evidence that interacting with others rests on a balance between self-other integration and segregation. Using a group walking paradigm, participants were instructed to synchronize with a metronome while listening to the sounds of 8 virtual partners. By manipulating the similarity and synchronicity of the partners' steps to the participant's own, our novel auditory task disentangles the effects of synchrony and self-other similarity and examines their contribution to both collective and individual awareness. We measured temporal coordination (step timing regularity and synchrony with the metronome), gait patterns, and subjective reports about sense of self and group cohesion. The main findings show that coordination is best when participants hear distinct but synchronous virtual others, leading to greater subjective feelings of agency, strength, dominance, and happiness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Merle T. Fairhurst
- Centre for Tactile Internet with Human-in-the-Loop (CeTI), Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
- Munich Centre for Neuroscience, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany
| | - Ana Tajadura-Jiménez
- i_mBODY Lab, DEI Interactive Systems Group, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Spain
- UCL Interaction Centre (UCLIC), University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Peter E. Keller
- The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia
- Center for Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University & The Royal Academy of Music Aarhus/Aalborg, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Ophelia Deroy
- Munich Centre for Neuroscience, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany
- Faculty of Philosophy, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany
- Institute of Philosophy, School of Advanced Study, University of London, London, United Kingdom
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3
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Delius JAM, Müller V. Interpersonal synchrony when singing in a choir. Front Psychol 2023; 13:1087517. [PMID: 36710769 PMCID: PMC9875726 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1087517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Singing in a choir has long been known to enhance well-being and protect mental health. Clearly, the experience of a uniquely harmonious social activity is very satisfying for the singers. How might this come about? One of the important factors positively associated with well-being is interpersonal action coordination allowing the choir to function as a whole. This review focuses on temporal coordination dynamics of physiological systems and/or subsystems forming part or the core of the functional substrate of choir singing. These coordination dynamics will be evaluated with respect to the concept of a superordinate system, or superorganism, based on the principles of self-organization and circular causality. We conclude that choral singing is a dynamic process requiring tight interpersonal action coordination that is characterized by coupled physiological systems and specific network topology dynamics, representing a potent biomarker for social interaction.
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4
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Müller V, Fairhurst MT, van Vugt FT, Keller PE, Müller MF. Editorial: Interpersonal synchrony and network dynamics in social interaction. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:1095735. [DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.1095735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
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5
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Cheng X, Guo B, Hu Y. Distinct neural couplings to shared goal and action coordination in joint action: evidence based on fNIRS hyperscanning. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2022; 17:956-964. [PMID: 35325237 PMCID: PMC9527463 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsac022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2021] [Revised: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Joint action is central to human nature, enabling individuals to coordinate in time and space to achieve a joint outcome. Such interaction typically involves two key elements: shared goal and action coordination. Yet, the substrates entrained to these two components in joint action remained unclear. In the current study, dyads performed two tasks involving both sharing goal and action coordination, i.e. complementary joint action and imitative joint action, a task only involving shared goal and a task only involving action coordination, while their brain activities were recorded by the functional near-infrared spectroscopy hyperscanning technique. The results showed that both complementary and imitative joint action (i.e. involving shared goal and action coordination) elicited better behavioral performance than the task only involving shared goal/action coordination. We observed that the interbrain synchronization (IBS) at the right inferior frontal cortex (IFC) entrained more to shared goal, while left-IFC IBS entrained more to action coordination. We also observed that the right-IFC IBS was greater during completing a complementary action than an imitative action. Our results suggest that IFC plays an important role in joint action, with distinct lateralization for the sub-components of joint action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojun Cheng
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Bing Guo
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Yinying Hu
- Institute of Brain and Education Innovation, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
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6
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Hu Y, Zhu M, Liu Y, Wang Z, Cheng X, Pan Y, Hu Y. Musical Meter Induces Interbrain Synchronization during Interpersonal Coordination. eNeuro 2022; 9:ENEURO.0504-21.2022. [PMID: 36280287 PMCID: PMC9616439 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0504-21.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Revised: 09/18/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Music induces people to coordinate with one another. Here, we conduct two experiments to examine the underlying mechanism of the interbrain synchronization (IBS) that is induced by interpersonal coordination when people are exposed to musical beat and meter. In experiment 1, brain signals at the frontal cortex were recorded simultaneously from two participants of a dyad by using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) hyperscanning, while each tapped their fingers to aural feedback from their partner (coordination task) or from themselves (independence task) with and without the musical meter. The results showed enhanced IBS at the left-middle frontal cortex in case of the coordination task with musical beat and meter. The IBS was significantly correlated with the participants performance in terms of coordination. In experiment 2, we further examined the IBS while the participants coordinated their behaviors in various metrical contexts, such as strong and weak meters (i.e., high/low loudness of acoustically accenting beats). The results showed that strong meters elicited higher IBS at the middle frontal cortex than weak meters. These findings reveal that the musical beat and meter can affect brain-to-brain coupling in action coordination between people, and provide insights into the interbrain mechanism underlying the effects of music on cooperation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yinying Hu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Crisis Intervention, School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Min Zhu
- College of Emergency Management, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 211816, China
| | - Yang Liu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Crisis Intervention, School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Zixuan Wang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Crisis Intervention, School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Xiaojun Cheng
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Yafeng Pan
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Yi Hu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Crisis Intervention, School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
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Lange EB, Omigie D, Trenado C, Müller V, Wald-Fuhrmann M, Merrill J. In touch: Cardiac and respiratory patterns synchronize during ensemble singing with physical contact. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:928563. [PMID: 35992947 PMCID: PMC9390082 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.928563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Musical ensemble performances provide an ideal environment to gain knowledge about complex human interactions. Network structures of synchronization can reflect specific roles of individual performers on the one hand and a higher level of organization of all performers as a superordinate system on the other. This study builds on research on joint singing, using hyperscanning of respiration and heart rate variability (HRV) from eight professional singers. Singers performed polyphonic music, distributing their breathing within the same voice and singing without and with physical contact: that is touching each other's shoulder or waist. The idea of singing with touch was motivated by historical depictions of ensemble performances that showed singers touching each other. It raises the question of the potential benefit of touch for group performances. From a psycho-physiological point of view, physical contact should increase the synchronization of singing coordination. The results confirm previous findings on synchronization of respiration and HRV during choir singing and extend those findings to a non-homophonic musical repertoire while also revealing an increase in synchronization in respiration during physical contact. These effects were significant across different frequency ranges. The effect of physical contact was stronger when all singers were singing in comparison to the partial ensemble. Importantly, the synchronization could not be fully explained by the singing action (i.e., singing the same voice, or singing vs. listening) or by the standing position or touch. This finding suggests a higher level of organization of all singers, forming a superordinate system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elke B. Lange
- Music Department, Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- *Correspondence: Elke B. Lange
| | - Diana Omigie
- Music Department, Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Carlos Trenado
- Music Department, Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Viktor Müller
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
| | - Melanie Wald-Fuhrmann
- Music Department, Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Max Planck NYU Center for Music, Language, and Emotions, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Julia Merrill
- Music Department, Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Institute of Music, University of Kassel, Kassel, Germany
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8
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Müller V. Neural Synchrony and Network Dynamics in Social Interaction: A Hyper-Brain Cell Assembly Hypothesis. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:848026. [PMID: 35572007 PMCID: PMC9101304 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.848026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2022] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Mounting neurophysiological evidence suggests that interpersonal interaction relies on continual communication between cell assemblies within interacting brains and continual adjustments of these neuronal dynamic states between the brains. In this Hypothesis and Theory article, a Hyper-Brain Cell Assembly Hypothesis is suggested on the basis of a conceptual review of neural synchrony and network dynamics and their roles in emerging cell assemblies within the interacting brains. The proposed hypothesis states that such cell assemblies can emerge not only within, but also between the interacting brains. More precisely, the hyper-brain cell assembly encompasses and integrates oscillatory activity within and between brains, and represents a common hyper-brain unit, which has a certain relation to social behavior and interaction. Hyper-brain modules or communities, comprising nodes across two or several brains, are considered as one of the possible representations of the hypothesized hyper-brain cell assemblies, which can also have a multidimensional or multilayer structure. It is concluded that the neuronal dynamics during interpersonal interaction is brain-wide, i.e., it is based on common neuronal activity of several brains or, more generally, of the coupled physiological systems including brains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viktor Müller
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
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9
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Müller V, Lindenberger U. Probing associations between interbrain synchronization and interpersonal action coordination during guitar playing. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2021; 1507:146-161. [PMID: 34510474 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Revised: 07/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Playing music in an ensemble is a highly coordinated human action involving musicians' brain-body interactions at different levels of physical and cortical organization in time and space. It has been suggested that interbrain phase synchronization plays an essential role in musical interaction. In this study, we aimed to explore associations between interbrain synchronization and interpersonal action coordination, using electroencephalographic recordings of the brain activity of guitarists playing in a duet as well as the acoustic recordings of their music. By applying phase synchronization algorithms to the musicians' brain activities and the sounds produced during guitar playing, we show that synchronous brain activity is strongly related to instrument sounds and behavioral play-onset synchrony, as indicated by phase alignment in relation to the time differences in play onsets and an angular-linear correlation between phase and time differences across trials and guitarist pairs. Interestingly, this correlation was especially strong in the first part of the music piece, when the guitarists seem to adjust their coordinated play onsets and brain rhythms actively. This suggests that the methods capturing intra- and interbrain synchronization and its relations to coordinated playing provide crucial information about the underlying mechanisms of interpersonal action coordination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viktor Müller
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ulman Lindenberger
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany.,Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, London, United Kingdom.,Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, Berlin, Germany
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10
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Müller V, Ohström KRP, Lindenberger U. Interactive brains, social minds: Neural and physiological mechanisms of interpersonal action coordination. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 128:661-677. [PMID: 34273378 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.07.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2020] [Revised: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 07/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
It is now widely accepted that inter-brain synchronization is an important and inevitable mechanism of interpersonal action coordination and social interaction behavior. This review of the current literature focuses first on the forward model for interpersonal action coordination and functional system theory for biological systems, two broadly similar concepts for adaptive system behavior. Further, we review interacting-brain and/or hyper-brain dynamics studies, to show the interplay between intra- and inter-brain connectivity resulting in hyper-brain network structure and network topology dynamics, and consider the functioning of interacting brains as a superordinate system. The concept of a superordinate system, or superorganism, is then evaluated with respect to neuronal and physiological systems group dynamics, which show further accompanying mechanisms of interpersonal interaction. We note that fundamental problems need to be resolved to better understand the neural mechanisms of interpersonal action coordination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viktor Müller
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Lentzeallee 94, Berlin, 14195, Germany.
| | - Kira-Rahel P Ohström
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Lentzeallee 94, Berlin, 14195, Germany
| | - Ulman Lindenberger
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Lentzeallee 94, Berlin, 14195, Germany; Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, London, England, and Berlin, Germany
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11
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Pérez A, Monahan PJ, Lambon Ralph MA. Joint recording of EEG and audio signals in hyperscanning and pseudo-hyperscanning experiments. MethodsX 2021; 8:101347. [PMID: 34430250 PMCID: PMC8374354 DOI: 10.1016/j.mex.2021.101347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Hyperscanning is an emerging technique that allows for the study of brain similarities between interacting individuals. This methodology has powerful implications for understanding the neural basis of joint actions, such as conversation; however, it also demands precise time-locking between the different brain recordings and sensory stimulation. Such precise timing, nevertheless, is often difficult to achieve. Recording auditory stimuli jointly with the ongoing high temporal resolution neurophysiological signal presents an effective way to control timing asynchronies offline between the digital trigger sent by the stimulation program and the actual onset of the auditory stimulus delivered to participants via speakers/headphones. This configuration is particularly challenging in hyperscanning setups due to the general increased complexity of the methodology. In other designs using the related technique of pseudo-hyperscanning, combined brain-auditory recordings are also a highly desirable feature, since reliable offline synchronization can be performed by using the shared audio signal. Here, we describe two hardware configurations wherein the real-time delivered auditory stimulus is recorded jointly with ongoing electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings. Specifically, we describe and provide customized implementations for joint EEG-audio recording in hyperscanning and pseudo-hyperscanning paradigms using hardware and software from Brain Products GmbH.•Joint EEG-audio recording configuration for hyperscanning and pseudo-hyperscanning paradigms.•Near zero-latency playback of auditory signal captured by a microphone.•Precise alignment between EEG and auditory stimulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Pérez
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Department of Language Studies, University of Toronto Scarborough, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Scarborough, Canada
| | - Philip J. Monahan
- Department of Language Studies, University of Toronto Scarborough, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Scarborough, Canada
- Department of Linguistics, University of Toronto, Canada
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12
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Tunçgenç B, Travers E, Fairhurst MT. Leadership and tempo perturbation affect coordination in medium-sized groups. Sci Rep 2021; 11:4940. [PMID: 33654114 PMCID: PMC7925598 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-81504-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
In marching bands, sports, dance and virtually all human group behaviour, we coordinate our actions with others. Coordinating actions in time and space can act as a social glue, facilitating bonding among people. However, much of our understanding about coordination dynamics is based on research into dyadic interactions. Little is known about the nature of the sensorimotor underpinnings and social bonding outcomes of coordination in medium-sized groups-the type of groups, in which most everyday teamwork takes place. In this study, we explored how the presence of a leader and an unexpected perturbation influence coordination and cohesion in a naturalistic setting. In groups of seven, participants were instructed to walk in time to an auditory pacing signal. We found that the presence of a reliable leader enhanced coordination with the target tempo, which was disrupted when the leader abruptly changed their movement tempo. This effect was not observed on coordination with the group members. Moreover, participants' perceptions of being a follower and group cooperativeness increased in the presence of a leader. This study extends our knowledge about coordination beyond previous work on dyads. We discuss our results in light of sensorimotor coupling and social cohesion theories of coordination in groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bahar Tunçgenç
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Institute of Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Eoin Travers
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK
| | - Merle T Fairhurst
- Faculty of Human Sciences, Institute of Psychology, Bundeswehr University, Munich, Germany.
- Faculty of Philosophy of Mind, Munich Centre for Neuroscience, LMU, Munich, Germany.
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13
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Müller V, Lindenberger U. Dynamic Orchestration of Brains and Instruments During Free Guitar Improvisation. Front Integr Neurosci 2019; 13:50. [PMID: 31551723 PMCID: PMC6738335 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2019.00050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2019] [Accepted: 08/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Playing music in ensemble requires enhanced sensorimotor coordination and the non-verbal communication of musicians that need to coordinate their actions precisely with those of others. As shown in our previous studies on guitar duets, and also on a guitar quartet, intra- and inter-brain synchronization plays an essential role during such interaction. At the same time, sensorimotor coordination as an essential part of this interaction requires being in sync with the auditory signals coming from the played instruments. In this study, using acoustic recordings of guitar playing and electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings of brain activity from guitarists playing in duet, we aimed to explore whether the musicians' brain activity synchronized with instrument sounds produced during guitar playing. To do so, we established an analytical method based on phase synchronization between time-frequency transformed guitar signals and raw EEG signals. Given phase synchronization, or coupling between guitar and brain signals, we constructed so-called extended hyper-brain networks comprising all possible interactions between two guitars and two brains. Applying a graph-theoretical approach to these networks assessed across time, we present dynamic changes of coupling strengths or dynamic orchestration of brains and instruments during free guitar improvisation for the first time. We also show that these dynamic network topology changes are oscillatory in nature and are characterized by specific spectral peaks, indicating the temporal structure in the synchronization patterns between guitars and brains. Moreover, extended hyper-brain networks exhibit specific modular organization varying in time, and binding each time, different parts of the network into the modules, which were mostly heterogeneous (i.e., comprising signals from different instruments and brains or parts of them). This suggests that the method capturing synchronization between instruments and brains when playing music provides crucial information about the underlying mechanisms. We conclude that this method may be an indispensable tool in the investigation of social interaction, music therapy, and rehabilitation dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viktor Müller
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ulman Lindenberger
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany.,Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, Berlin, Germany.,Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, London, United Kingdom
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