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The Posterior Parietal Cortex Subserves Precise Motor Timing in Professional Drummers.
Bettina Pollok1, Katharina Stephan2, Ariane Keitel1
1Medical Faculty, Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Heinrich-Heine University DuesseldorfDuesseldorf, Germany.
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
|April 27, 2017
Summary
This study shows that stimulating the left posterior parietal cortex (PPC) with anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) disrupts auditory-motor synchronization in professional drummers. The effect of tDCS on motor timing depends on musical expertise.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Motor Control
- Auditory-Motor Integration
Background:
- The posterior parietal cortex (PPC) is implicated in motor timing and synchronization.
- Professional musicians, like drummers, exhibit superior synchronization abilities, suggesting specialized neural mechanisms.
- Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can modulate cortical excitability and influence motor performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of the left PPC in auditory-motor synchronization in professional drummers.
- To examine how anodal and cathodal tDCS over the left PPC affect synchronization performance in drummers.
- To compare the effects of tDCS on synchronization between drummers and non-musicians.
Main Methods:
- 20 professional drummers underwent auditory-motor synchronization tasks with right-hand finger tapping.
- Anodal and cathodal tDCS were applied over the left PPC, with continuation and reaction time tasks as controls.
- Behavioral measures were assessed before and after tDCS; data from non-musicians were re-analyzed for comparison.
Main Results:
- Anodal tDCS over the left PPC significantly increased asynchronies (tap preceding tone) in drummers, replicating findings in non-musicians.
- tDCS effects were specific to synchronization tasks, with no impact on control tasks.
- tDCS interfered with synchronization only in drummers with initially precise timing, whereas non-musicians showed the opposite pattern.
Conclusions:
- The PPC is crucial for auditory-motor synchronization, with its functional significance modulated by musical expertise.
- The impact of tDCS on synchronization performance differs between musicians and non-musicians, highlighting expertise-dependent neural processing.
- These findings refine our understanding of the neural basis of motor timing and the role of the PPC in skilled performance.
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