Interpersonal synchrony enhanced through 20 Hz phase-coupled dual brain stimulation

Giacomo Novembre, Günther Knoblich, Laura Dunne, Peter E. Keller

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract (may include machine translation)

Synchronous movement is a key component of social behavior in several species including humans. Recent theories have suggested a link between interpersonal synchrony of brain oscillations and interpersonal movement synchrony. The present study investigated this link. Using transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) applied over the left motor cortex, we induced beta band (20 Hz) oscillations in pairs of individuals who both performed a finger-tapping task with the right hand. In-phase or anti-phase oscillations were delivered during a preparatory period prior to movement and while the tapping task was performed. In-phase 20Hz stimulation enhanced interpersonal movement synchrony, compared with anti-phase or sham stimulation, particularly for the initial taps following the preparatory period. This was confirmed in an analysis comparing real vs pseudo pair surrogate data. No enhancement was observed for stimulation frequencies of 2Hz (matching the target movement frequency) or 10 Hz (alpha band). Thus, phase-coupling of beta band neural oscillations across two individuals' (resting) motor cortices supports the interpersonal alignment of sensorimotor processes that regulate rhythmic action initiation, thereby facilitating the establishment of synchronous movement. Phase-locked dual brain stimulation provides a promising method to study causal effects of interpersonal brain synchrony on social, sensorimotor and cognitive processes.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)662-670
Number of pages9
JournalSocial Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience
Volume12
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Apr 2017

Keywords

  • Beta oscillations
  • Brain-to-brain coupling
  • Interpersonal synchronization
  • Phase
  • Social interaction

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Interpersonal synchrony enhanced through 20 Hz phase-coupled dual brain stimulation'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this