TY - JOUR
T1 - Neural multimodal integration underlying synchronization with a co-performer in music
T2 - Influences of motor expertise and visual information
AU - Timmers, Renee
AU - MacRitchie, Jennifer
AU - Schabrun, Siobhan M.
AU - Thapa, Tribikram
AU - Varlet, Manuel
AU - Keller, Peter E.
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported by a Leverhulme International Academic Fellowship to RT ( IAF-2015-013 ) and a Future Fellowship grant, Australian Research Council to PK ( FT140101162 ).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2020/3/16
Y1 - 2020/3/16
N2 - Sensorimotor synchronization is a general skill that musicians have developed to the highest levels of performance, including synchronization in timing and articulation. This study investigated neurocognitive processes that enable such high levels of performance, specifically testing the relevance of 1) motor resonance and sharing high levels of motor expertise with the co-performer, and 2) the role of visual information in addition to auditory information. Musicians with varying levels of piano expertise (including non-pianists) performed on a single piano key with their right hand along with recordings of a pianist who performed simple melodies with the left hand, synchronizing timing and articulation. The prerecorded performances were presented as audio-only, audio-video, or audio-animation stimuli. Double pulse Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (dTMS) was applied to test the contribution of the right dorsal premotor cortex (dPMC), an area implicated in motor resonance with observed (left-hand) actions, and the contribution of the right intraparietal sulcus (IPS), an area known for multisensory binding. Results showed effects of dTMS in the conditions that included visual information. IPS stimulation improved synchronization, although this effect was found to reverse in the video condition with higher levels of piano expertise. dPMC stimulation improved or worsened synchronization ability. Level of piano expertise was found to influence this direction in the video condition. These results indicate that high levels of relevant motor expertise are required to beneficially employ visual and motor information of a co-performer for sensorimotor synchronization, which may qualify the effects of dPMC and IPS involvement.
AB - Sensorimotor synchronization is a general skill that musicians have developed to the highest levels of performance, including synchronization in timing and articulation. This study investigated neurocognitive processes that enable such high levels of performance, specifically testing the relevance of 1) motor resonance and sharing high levels of motor expertise with the co-performer, and 2) the role of visual information in addition to auditory information. Musicians with varying levels of piano expertise (including non-pianists) performed on a single piano key with their right hand along with recordings of a pianist who performed simple melodies with the left hand, synchronizing timing and articulation. The prerecorded performances were presented as audio-only, audio-video, or audio-animation stimuli. Double pulse Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (dTMS) was applied to test the contribution of the right dorsal premotor cortex (dPMC), an area implicated in motor resonance with observed (left-hand) actions, and the contribution of the right intraparietal sulcus (IPS), an area known for multisensory binding. Results showed effects of dTMS in the conditions that included visual information. IPS stimulation improved synchronization, although this effect was found to reverse in the video condition with higher levels of piano expertise. dPMC stimulation improved or worsened synchronization ability. Level of piano expertise was found to influence this direction in the video condition. These results indicate that high levels of relevant motor expertise are required to beneficially employ visual and motor information of a co-performer for sensorimotor synchronization, which may qualify the effects of dPMC and IPS involvement.
KW - Dorsal premotor cortex
KW - Intraparietal sulcus
KW - Motor expertise
KW - Music performance
KW - Sensorimotor integration
KW - Synchronization
KW - Visual information
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85078992233&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.neulet.2020.134803
DO - 10.1016/j.neulet.2020.134803
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 32014517
AN - SCOPUS:85078992233
SN - 0304-3940
VL - 721
JO - Neuroscience Letters
JF - Neuroscience Letters
M1 - 134803
ER -