Analysis of inter-brain synchrony in group-based electroencephalography to assess task-dependent interactions

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Social Neuroscience
• Cognitive Neuroscience

Background:

• Social interaction and cooperation are fundamental human behaviors.
• Neural activity synchronization is observed during cooperative group behaviors.
• Hyperscanning (simultaneous multi-subject neural recording) offers insights into group neural dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate neural synchrony during cooperative and non-cooperative tasks using EEG hyperscanning.
• To examine the impact of social behavior, including the presence of adversaries, on neural synchrony.
• To evaluate the influence of analysis parameters on findings related to brain synchronization.

Main Methods:

• A triadic 24-channel EEG hyperscanning experiment was conducted.
• Participants engaged in a cooperative card game and individual cognitive puzzle tasks.
• Inter-Subject Correlation (ISC) analyzed neural synchrony, with linear mixed-effect models assessing differences.

Main Results:

• Task-based neural synchrony exceeded resting-state synchrony in both experiments.
• Higher brain synchrony was observed during cooperative tasks when no adversaries were present.
• No statistically significant differences in neural synchrony were found between cooperative and non-cooperative tasks themselves.

Conclusions:

• Task-based neural synchrony is generally higher than resting-state synchrony.
• The presence of adversaries may modulate neural synchrony during social interactions.
• Careful consideration of analysis parameters (e.g., time window, cognitive load) is crucial for accurate interpretation of brain synchronization in group settings.