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Updated: Jan 13, 2026
How to Calculate and Validate Inter-brain Synchronization in a fNIRS Hyperscanning Study
Published on: September 8, 2021
A Systematic Review of Inter-Brain Synchrony and Psychological Conditions: Stress, Anxiety, Depression, Autism and
Atiqah Azhari1, Ashvina Rai1, Y H Victoria Chua1
1Psychology Programme, School of Humanities and Behavioural Sciences, Singapore University of Social Sciences, Singapore 599494, Singapore.
Background:
Inter-brain synchrony (IBS)-the temporal alignment of neural activity between individuals during social interactions-has emerged as a key construct in social neuroscience, reflecting shared attention, emotional attunement, and coordinated behavior. Enabled by hyperscanning techniques, IBS has been observed across a range of dyadic contexts, including cooperation, empathy, and communication. This systematic review synthesizes recent empirical findings on inter-brain synchrony (IBS)-the temporal alignment of neural activity between individuals-across psychological and neurodevelopmental conditions, including stress, anxiety, depression, and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Methods:
Drawing on 30 studies employing hyperscanning methodologies (EEG, fNIRS, fMRI), we examined how IBS patterns vary by clinical condition, dyad type, and brain region.
Results:
Findings indicate that IBS is generally reduced in anxiety, depression, and ASD, particularly in key social brain regions such as the dorsolateral and medial prefrontal cortices (dlPFC, mPFC, vmPFC), temporoparietal junction (TPJ), and inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), suggesting impaired emotional resonance and social cognition. In contrast, stress elicited both increases and decreases in IBS, modulated by context, emotional proximity, and cooperative strategies. Parent-child, therapist-client, and romantic dyads exhibited distinct synchrony profiles, with gender and relational dynamics further shaping neural coupling.
Conclusions:
Collectively, the findings support IBS as a potentially dynamic, condition-sensitive, and contextually modulated neurophysiological indicator of interpersonal functioning, with implications for diagnostics, intervention design, and the advancement of social neuroscience in clinical settings.
