Inner sense of rhythm: percussionist brain activity during rhythmic encoding and synchronization

Yin-Chun Liao; Ching-Ju Yang; Hsin-Yen Yu; Chiu-Jung Huang; Tzu-Yi Hong; Wei-Chi Li; Li-Fen Chen; Jen-Chuen Hsieh

doi:10.3389/fnins.2024.1342326

Inner sense of rhythm: percussionist brain activity during rhythmic encoding and synchronization

Front Neurosci. 2024 Feb 14:18:1342326. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1342326. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Yin-Chun Liao^#^{1

2}, Ching-Ju Yang^#^{1

2}, Hsin-Yen Yu³, Chiu-Jung Huang¹, Tzu-Yi Hong^{1

2

4}, Wei-Chi Li^{1

2

5}, Li-Fen Chen^{1

2

6}, Jen-Chuen Hsieh^{2

3

5

6}

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Brain Science, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan.
² Integrated Brain Research Unit, Department of Medical Research, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
³ Graduate Institute of Arts and Humanities Education, Taipei National University of the Arts, Taipei, Taiwan.
⁴ Center for Intelligent Drug Systems and Smart Bio-devices, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan.
⁵ Department of Biological Science and Technology, College of Biological Science and Technology, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan.
⁶ Brain Research Center, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Introduction: The main objective of this research is to explore the core cognitive mechanisms utilized by exceptionally skilled percussionists as they navigate complex rhythms. Our specific focus is on understanding the dynamic interactions among brain regions, respectively, related to externally directed cognition (EDC), internally directed cognition (IDC), and rhythm processing, defined as the neural correlates of rhythm processing (NCRP).

Methods: The research involved 26 participants each in the percussionist group (PG) and control group (CG), who underwent task-functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) sessions focusing on rhythm encoding and synchronization. Comparative analyses were performed between the two groups under each of these conditions.

Results: Rhythmic encoding showed decreased activity in EDC areas, specifically in the right calcarine cortex, left middle occipital gyrus, right fusiform gyrus, and left inferior parietal lobule, along with reduced NCRP activity in the left dorsal premotor, right sensorimotor cortex, and left superior parietal lobule. During rhythmic synchronization, there was increased activity in IDC areas, particularly in the default mode network, and in NCRP areas including the left inferior frontal gyrus and bilateral putamen. Conversely, EDC areas like the right dorsolateral prefrontal gyrus, right superior temporal gyrus, right middle occipital gyrus, and bilateral inferior parietal lobule showed decreased activity, as did NCRP areas including the bilateral dorsal premotor cortex, bilateral ventral insula, bilateral inferior frontal gyrus, and left superior parietal lobule.

Discussion: PG's rhythm encoding is characterized by reduced cognitive effort compared to CG, as evidenced by decreased activity in brain regions associated with EDC and the NCRP. Rhythmic synchronization reveals up-regulated IDC, down-regulated EDC involvement, and dynamic interplay among regions with the NCRP, suggesting that PG engages in both automatic and spontaneous processing simultaneously. These findings provide valuable insights into expert performance and present opportunities for improving music education.

Keywords: encoding; externally directed cognition; functional magnetic resonance imaging; internally directed cognition; percussion training; percussionist; synchronization.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This work was financially supported by the National Science and Technology Council (MOST 105-2420-H-010-004-, MOST 106-2420-H-010-006-MY2, MOST 106-2410-H-010-003-, MOST 106-2420-H-010-005-, and MOST 106-2218-E-010-004-MY3), Center for Intelligent Drug Systems and Smart Bio-devices (IDS²B) and Brain Research Center of National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University from The Featured Areas Research Center Program within the framework of the Higher Education Sprout Project by the Ministry of Education (MOE) in Taiwan, and the Aim for the Top University Plan of the MOE for National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University. The funders had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.