Symbolic dynamics of joint brain states during dyadic coordination

We propose a novel approach to investigate the brain mechanisms that support coordination of behavior between individuals. Brain states in single individuals defined by the patterns of functional connectivity between brain regions are used to create joint symbolic representations of brain states in two or more individuals to investigate symbolic dynamics that are related to interactive behaviors. We apply this approach to electroencephalographic data from pairs of subjects engaged in two different modes of finger-tapping coordination tasks (synchronization and syncopation) under different interaction conditions (uncoupled, leader-follower, and mutual) to explore the neural mechanisms of multi-person motor coordination. Our results reveal that dyads exhibit mostly the same joint symbols in different interaction conditions-the most important differences are reflected in the symbolic dynamics. Recurrence analysis shows that interaction influences the dwell time in specific joint symbols and the structure of joint symbol sequences (motif length). In synchronization, increasing feedback promotes stability with longer dwell times and motif length. In syncopation, leader-follower interactions enhance stability (increase dwell time and motif length), but mutual interaction dramatically reduces stability. Network analysis reveals distinct topological changes with task and feedback. In synchronization, stronger coupling stabilizes a few states, preserving a core-periphery structure of the joint brain states while in syncopation we observe a more distributed flow amongst a larger set of joint brain states. This study introduces symbolic representations of metastable joint brain states and associated analytic tools that have the potential to expand our understanding of brain dynamics in human interaction and coordination.