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Brain connectivity dynamics during listening to music and potential impact on task performance

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Abstract

To analyze brain connectivity dynamics during listening to music and estimate the potential impact on task performance. Fifteen participants (13 males and 2 females) participated in this study based on their interest in Indian classical music. Measurements of the influence of Indian music on task performance were obtained by assessing brain activation using EEG signals. Brain connectivity analysis was performed to visualize the connections between brain regions under various experimental conditions. Visual Go/No Go Stimuli was used to evaluate visual spatial attention during operation by evaluating misses, committed errors, and reaction times. In Task 1 (listening to music only), it was reported that there was a change in the positions of the electrodes (F3, F7) located in the left frontal lobe. The energy of the relative beta component was significantly higher only at F7 during task 1 (p = 0.005). Event-related desynchronization alpha and theta synchronization were significant (p = 0.005) at all electrode sites in the bilateral frontal lobes (F3, F4, F7 and F8) while listening to music and performing tasks (task 2). When the task without music (task 3) was performed, the energy of the relative alpha component was significantly higher at the Fp2 electrode position (p = 0.005). It is noteworthy that the energy of the theta component was significantly lower at the location of the Fp2 electrode (p = 0.005). The frontal asymmetry index score measures were significantly high at F4/F3 and F8/F7 during task 1. The connectivity map of theta synchronization showed a robust association between Fp2 and F8 which was in turn connected to P4 and O2 during Task 2. Results indicated an increased omission and commission errors during Task 3.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge Mr. N.P. Guhan Seshadri for helping with data acquisition and revising the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biomedical Engineering, SSN College of Engineering, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

    Geethanjali Balasubramanian, Mahesh Veezhinathan & Jagannath Mohan

  2. School of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, SASTRA Deemed to be University, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India

    Adalarasu Kanagasabai

  3. School of Electronics Engineering, Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

    Jagannath Mohan

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  1. Geethanjali Balasubramanian
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  2. Adalarasu Kanagasabai
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  3. Mahesh Veezhinathan
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  4. Jagannath Mohan
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Correspondence to Adalarasu Kanagasabai.

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Balasubramanian, G., Kanagasabai, A., Veezhinathan, M. et al. Brain connectivity dynamics during listening to music and potential impact on task performance. Cogn Neurodyn (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11571-023-09948-w

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