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Updated: Jan 30, 2026
04:44
Inter-Brain Synchrony in Open-Ended Collaborative Learning: An fNIRS-Hyperscanning Study
Published on: July 21, 2021
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Investigating face processing in online interactions via UK-US hyperscanning using fNIRS
Uzair Hakim1, Jack Adam Noah2, Xian Zhang2
1Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, UCL, London, United Kingdom.
Imaging Neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.)
|January 29, 2026
Summary
This study explored brain activity during online video calls, finding differences in visual processing for live faces versus static images. Online social interactions engage distinct neural mechanisms compared to in-person communication.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Human-Computer Interaction
Background:
- Videoconferencing is prevalent, yet its neural underpinnings are understudied.
- Existing research on face processing primarily focuses on in-person interactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate neural mechanisms of face processing during online videoconferencing.
- To compare brain activity and inter-brain coupling (IBC) for live-online versus static faces.
- To understand social cognition in virtual communication.
Main Methods:
- Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used to measure brain activity.
- fNIRS data was synchronized across UK and US laboratories.
- Participants viewed live-online or static faces of their partners during videoconferencing sessions.
Main Results:
- No preferential activity in the right supramarginal gyrus for live-online faces was observed, contrary to expectations from in-person studies.
- Occipital-temporal and dorsal visual streams showed higher activity for live-online faces compared to static faces.
- No significant increase in inter-brain synchrony was found for live face conditions versus static face conditions.
Conclusions:
- Online social interaction studies offer a distinct research area separate from in-person interactions.
- Videoconferencing engages specific neural pathways in visual processing.
- Current methods do not show enhanced brain synchrony for live online faces compared to static ones.
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