Characterization of Cortical Patterns Using High-Density EEG in Motor Tasks Related to Musical Note Execution

Introduction: The execution of complex motor actions involving processes such as planning, decision-making, and execution entails a certain cognitive workload (CWL), engaging the involvement of multiple brain areas and processes related to the coordinated activation of muscles. Factors such as context, previous experience, stimulus complexity, and required precision, among others, can establish basal cortical patterns from which those related to the specific motor task are generated. Here, we propose a study to characterize cortical patterns before and after the execution of musical motor tasks.

Methods: Ten subjects participated in an experimental involving the unilateral execution of musical chord on an electronic piano. Nine musical chord (C, D, E₇, F, F_#m, G, A, A_m, and B) were presented alternately and sequentially to the subjects on a 21-inch monitor. Throughout the experiment, EEG signals were recorded from 256 channels. Cortical activity was analyzed based on the spectral energy in different bands and patterns of connectivity evoked before and after the motor executions.

Results and Discussion: Event-related desynchronizations and connectivity patterns have shown differential characteristics before and after musical tasks. Moreover, the presentation of musical chords triggered cortical patterns different from those evoked by the instruction of a simple motor action (pressing a piano key).

Conclusions: With this study, we characterized the cortical dynamics evoked by the performance of musical chords. Likewise, we concluded that it would be possible to determine the cognitive loads demanded on subjects by musical instructions measuring EEG signals.