Lights on music cognition: A systematic and critical review of fNIRS applications and future perspectives
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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) offers a promising approach for studying music cognition, especially in real-world settings and diverse populations. This review highlights its potential and provides guidelines for robust research in music neuroscience.
Area Of Science
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Music Cognition
- Neuroimaging
Background
- Music perception and production research is established in cognitive neurosciences.
- Traditional neuroimaging tools face limitations in capturing complex musical experiences.
- Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) emerges as a suitable alternative.
Purpose Of The Study
- To systematically review existing fNIRS studies on music cognition.
- To highlight the prospects and potential applications of fNIRS in music research.
- To provide methodological guidelines for future studies.
Main Methods
- Systematic literature review of 59 studies using fNIRS with music stimuli.
- Overview of fNIRS basic theory and comparison with other neuroimaging techniques.
- Thematic organization of reviewed studies and critical discussion of methodologies.
Main Results
- Fifty-nine relevant studies were identified and categorized.
- Guidelines for good practices in fNIRS signal analysis and reproducibility were proposed.
- A continuously updated world map of fNIRS music cognition studies was presented as a reference database.
Conclusions
- fNIRS demonstrates significant potential for investigating cognitive processes in music.
- Its suitability for ecological contexts and special populations aligns with current research priorities.
- fNIRS can foster collaborations within the music cognition research community.

