Distinct fNIRS Inter-Brain Coupling Patterns for Cooperation versus Competition in a Tennis Game

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Social Cognitive Neuroscience
• Human Interaction

Background:

• Cooperation and competition are fundamental social interactions.
• Neural mechanisms underlying these interactions are not fully understood.
• Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) hyperscanning allows simultaneous brain activity measurement in interacting individuals.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate inter-brain coupling (IBC) during cooperative and competitive gameplay.
• Identify neural substrates associated with different social interaction modes.
• Explore the role of high-order cognitive networks in social interactions.

Main Methods:

• Utilized fNIRS hyperscanning to measure hemodynamic activity in pairs.
• Analyzed cross-channel inter-brain coupling (IBC) during a motion-sensing tennis game.
• Compared IBC during cooperative play, competitive play, resting-state, and solo gameplay with observation.

Main Results:

• Both cooperation and competition significantly enhanced IBC in sensorimotor regions compared to controls.
• Cross-regional coupling increased between sensorimotor cortex and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) / temporoparietal junction (TPJ).
• Competitive interactions showed stronger DLPFC-sensorimotor IBC, suggesting higher cognitive control demands.
• Cooperative interactions enhanced prefrontal cortex coupling, potentially reflecting shared goals.
• Behavioral cooperation performance negatively correlated with DLPFC-sensorimotor IBC.

Conclusions:

• Distinct patterns of neural coupling underlie cooperative and competitive social interactions.
• fNIRS hyperscanning provides insights into the neural basis of naturalistic social behaviors.
• High-order cognitive networks play a crucial role in mediating social interactions.