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Updated: Jul 9, 2026
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Optogenetic Entrainment of Hippocampal Theta Oscillations in Behaving Mice
Published on: June 29, 2018
Neural Oscillatory Dynamics in Joint Action: Dissociable Roles of Entrainment and Beta Modulation in Self-Other
Mattia Rosso1,2, Bavo Van Kerrebroeck2,3,4, Peter Erik Keller1,5
1Center for Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University & The Royal Academy of Music, Aarhus/Aalborg, Denmark.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
|July 8, 2026
Summary
Temporal coordination relies on self-other integration. Beta-band brain oscillations specifically enhance this integration when a partner's hand is perceived as one's own, revealing neural mechanisms for communication.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Social Interaction
Background:
- Temporal coordination is crucial for human communication and collaboration.
- Neural mechanisms underlying self-other integration, where a partner is processed as self-relevant, are not fully understood.
- Beta-band oscillatory dynamics are hypothesized to support sensorimotor integration.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the neural dynamics of self-other integration during joint rhythmic action.
- To examine how different perspectives of a partner's hand influence brain oscillations.
- To test the role of beta-band modulation in integrating a partner's effector into one's own sensorimotor representations.
Main Methods:
- Utilized an immersive virtual-reality body-swap illusion to manipulate embodiment of a partner's hand.
- Employed electroencephalography (EEG) hyperscanning with 40 participants in 20 dyads performing a joint finger-tapping task.
- Compared neural activity across conditions: first-person (1P) partner hand, second-person (2P) partner hand, and self-hand control.
Main Results:
- Both low-frequency neural entrainment and beta-band modulation linked to partner movements were observed in visually coupled conditions.
- Beta-band modulation was selectively enhanced when participants viewed the partner's hand from a first-person (1P) perspective.
- Neural entrainment reflected general tracking of partner's rhythm, while beta modulation indicated specific self-other integration.
Conclusions:
- Neural entrainment supports tracking of a partner's rhythmic behavior.
- Beta-band modulation specifically facilitates the integration of a partner's effector into one's own bodily representation.
- Findings elucidate the distinct neural mechanisms underlying temporal coordination and self-other integration.
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