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Probing sensorimotor integration during musical performance
Author(s) -
Furuya Shinichi,
Furukawa Yuta,
Uehara Kazumasa,
Oku Takanori
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1111/nyas.13619
Subject(s) - neurophysiology , sensory system , piano , neuroscience , computer science , multisensory integration , transcranial magnetic stimulation , psychology , proprioception , adaptation (eye) , stimulation , art history , art
An integration of afferent sensory information from the visual, auditory, and proprioceptive systems into execution and update of motor programs plays crucial roles in control and acquisition of skillful sequential movements in musical performance. However, conventional behavioral and neurophysiological techniques that have been applied to study simplistic motor behaviors limit elucidating online sensorimotor integration processes underlying skillful musical performance. Here, we propose two novel techniques that were developed to investigate the roles of auditory and proprioceptive feedback in piano performance. First, a closed‐loop noninvasive brain stimulation system that consists of transcranial magnetic stimulation, a motion sensor, and a microcomputer enabled to assess time‐varying cortical processes subserving auditory–motor integration during piano playing. Second, a force‐field system capable of manipulating the weight of a piano key allowed for characterizing movement adaptation based on the feedback obtained, which can shed light on the formation of an internal representation of the piano. Results of neurophysiological and psychophysics experiments provided evidence validating these systems as effective means for disentangling computational and neural processes of sensorimotor integration in musical performance.