Investigating the neural mechanisms of rhythmic entrainment and auditory priming using EEG
Date
2023
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Abstract
A body of literature on rhythmic entrainment, the synchronization of behaviors to rhythmic stimuli in the environment, shows auditory rhythmic cuing can improve motor performance in neurotypical and clinical populations. This is thought to be driven by underlying communication, i.e., functional connectivity, between auditory and motor brain regions. Surprisingly, some clinical research shows rhythmic entrainment interventions, designed to enhance motor performance, may improve cognitive performance as well. However, it is unclear if improved cognitive performance during rhythmic entrainment reflects changes in functional connectivity. Evidence from cognitive neuroscience suggests rhythmic auditory stimuli may direct attentional resources through the synchronization of certain neural oscillations with the rhythmic pulse. Neural oscillations are repetitive patterns of brain activity which can be measured noninvasively at the scalp using electroencephalography (EEG). Measuring how neural oscillations from spatially distinct brain regions synchronize with each other reflects changes functional connectivity. Before functional connectivity during rhythmic entrainment can be studied, research is first needed to establish connectivity patterns when processing auditory rhythmic stimuli (auditory condition) and during self-paced rhythmic motor performance (motor condition), which was the goal of Study 1. Overall, the results of Study 1 provide evidence that the auditory condition may promote more efficient functional connectivity with increased activation in localized brain regions, while the motor condition may utilize long-range low-frequency neural oscillations to suppress activity in task-irrelevant brain regions to sustain attention. A recent EEG study by our lab compared the neural oscillations of participants who listened to auditory rhythmic stimuli presented for a little over five minutes (auditory-first group) to participants who completed a self-paced rhythmic motor task for about minutes (motor-first group) prior to tapping along to auditory rhythmic cues (rhythmic entrainment condition). One important finding was a greater "priming effect" in the auditory-first group, who showed reduced neural resources needed during rhythmic entrainment compared to the motor-first group. Thus, auditory priming, compared to motor priming, may result in a more efficient use of neural resources during rhythmic entrainment. However, the optimal duration of auditory priming to promote efficient brain and behavior function is unknown. Therefore, the goal of Study 2 was to determine how different durations of auditory priming affect brain efficiency in neurotypical individuals, as measured using EEG. Overall, the results of Study 2 found that a duration of about two minutes may be optimal for auditory processing of rhythmic stimuli. However, more research is needed to confirm if auditory priming reduces neural resources needed during rhythmic entrainment compared to no priming and if auditory priming improves motor performance. Rhythmic entrainment and auditory priming are both important principles of rhythm-based interventions used in rehabilitation. A better understanding of their neural mechanisms in neurotypical individuals provides a necessary foundation for future research examining these processes in clinical populations and as a component of clinical interventions.
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Embargo expires: 08/28/2025.
Subject
electroencephalography
music therapy
rhythm
entrainment
auditory processing
priming