Neural mechanisms during role-playing in music psychodrama: an fNIRS Hyperscanning study

The mechanism of inter-brain synchrony (IBS) during role-playing in music psychodrama has received limited empirical attention. To address this gap, the present study employed functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) hyperscanning to examine IBS in 46 participant pairs during music psychodrama role-playing. Behavioral results showed that negative emotion questionnaire scores were significantly lower following the intervention compared with pre-intervention levels. Neural results revealed that, relative to the resting state, music psychodrama role-playing significantly enhanced activation in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (R-DLPFC) and the right frontopolar area (R-FT), and also produced a significant increase in IBS within the R-FT. These findings shed light on the neural mechanisms underlying role-playing in music psychodrama and provide empirical support for future intervention research.