Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 8, 2026
04:44
Inter-Brain Synchrony in Open-Ended Collaborative Learning: An fNIRS-Hyperscanning Study
Published on: July 21, 2021
Neural correlates of auditory temporal predictions during sensorimotor synchronization
Nadine Pecenka1, Annerose Engel, Peter E Keller
1Music Cognition and Action Group, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences Leipzig, Germany.
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
|August 24, 2013
Summary
Musicians use predictive timing for synchronized performance, relying on brain networks for auditory temporal predictions. Cognitive load impairs this prediction ability, impacting sensorimotor synchronization accuracy.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Music Cognition
Background:
- Ensemble musicians require precise temporal coordination for synchronous performance.
- Anticipatory mechanisms, enabling prediction of co-performers' sounds, are crucial for synchrony.
- Individual differences in predicting tempo changes affect sensorimotor synchronization (SMS) and coordination accuracy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the neural correlates of auditory temporal predictions during SMS.
- To examine how cognitive load affects auditory temporal prediction ability during SMS.
- To identify brain regions involved in auditory temporal prediction during synchronized tapping.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to record hemodynamic responses in 18 musicians.
- Musicians performed synchronized tapping to auditory sequences with gradual tempo changes.
- Cognitive load was manipulated using a visual n-back working-memory task (observation, 1-back, 2-back).
Main Results:
- Prediction ability during SMS decreased as cognitive load increased.
- Auditory temporal predictions during SMS activated a network of cortico-cerebellar motor areas (including premotor cortex, cerebellum, SMA, and inferior parietal cortex).
- Medial cortical areas (medial prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulate cortex) were also recruited, potentially for social-cognitive processes.
Conclusions:
- A distributed network of brain areas supports auditory temporal prediction and sensorimotor integration during synchronized musical performance.
- Higher cognitive load impairs auditory temporal prediction, highlighting the interplay between working memory and predictive timing.
- Medial cortical activations suggest that social-cognitive processes are engaged when coordinating actions to auditory cues resembling human performance.
