Robustness and adaptability of sensorimotor skills in expert piano performance

Skillful sequential action requires the delicate balance of sensorimotor control, encompassing both robustness and adaptability. However, it remains unknown whether both motor and neural responses triggered by sensory perturbation undergo plastic adaptation as a consequence of extensive sensorimotor experience. We assessed the effects of transiently delayed tone production on the subsequent motor actions and event-related potentials (ERPs) during piano performance by comparing pianists and non-musicians. Following the perturbation, the inter-keystroke interval was abnormally prolonged in non-musicians but not in pianists. By contrast, the keystroke velocity following the perturbation was increased only in the pianists. A regression model demonstrated that the change in the inter-keystroke interval covaried with the ERPs, particularly at the frontal and parietal regions. The alteration in the keystroke velocity was associated with the P300 component of the temporal region. These findings suggest that different neural mechanisms underlie robust and adaptive sensorimotor skills across proficiency level.