title: Functional network interactions during sensorimotor synchronization in musicians and non-musicians.
abstract: Precise timing as determined by sensorimotor synchronization is crucial for a wide variety of activities. Although it is well-established that musicians show superior timing as compared to non-musicians, the neurophysiological foundations - in particular the underlying functional brain network - remain to be characterized. To this end, drummers, professional pianists and non-musicians performed an auditory synchronization task while neuromagnetic activity was measured using a 122-channel whole-head magnetoencephalography (MEG) system. The underlying functional brain network was determined using the beamformer approach Dynamic Imaging of Coherent Sources (DICS). Behaviorally, drummers performed less variably than non-musicians. Neuromagnetic analysis revealed a cerebello-thalamo-cortical network in all subjects comprising bilateral primary sensorimotor cortices (S1/M1), contralateral supplementary motor and premotor regions (SMA and PMC), thalamus, posterior parietal cortex (PPC), ipsilateral cerebellum and bilateral auditory cortices. Stronger PMC-thalamus and PPC-thalamus interactions at alpha and beta frequencies were evident in drummers as compared to non-musicians. In professional pianists stronger PMC-thalamus interaction as compared to non-musicians at beta frequency occurred. The present data suggest that precise timing is associated with increased functional interaction within a PMC-thalamus-PPC network. The PMC-thalamus connectivity at beta frequency might be related to musical expertise, whereas the PPC-thalamus interaction might have specific relevance for precise timing.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Heinrich-Heine-University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany.
authors.forename: Vanessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Krause
authors.forename: Alfons
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schnitzler
authors.forename: Bettina
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pollok
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000328:Adult; D000513:Alpha Rhythm; D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D001611:Beta Rhythm; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods; D004576:Electromyography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015225:Magnetoencephalography / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology*; D009146:Music; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D009790:Occupations; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D013997:Time Factors