Bispectral EEG analysis for knowledge scaffolding in music perception: A mirror neurons-based approach

Abstract

‘Motion’ and intention that are involved in the perception of musical structure combined with mirror neuron (MN) system activation are studied in this article. The mechanism of MN involved in the perception of musical structures is seen as a means for cueing the learner on ‘known’ factors that can be used for his/her knowledge scaffolding. To explore such relationships, EEG recordings, and especially the Mu-rhythm in the premotor cortex that relates to the activation of MN, were acquired and explored. Three experiments were designed to provide the auditory and visual stimuli to a group of subjects, including both musicians and non-musicians. The acquired signals, after appropriate averaging in the time domain, were analyzed in frequency and bifrequency domains, using spectral and bispectral analysis, respectively. Experimental results have shown that an intention – related activity shown in musicians could be associated with Mu – rhythm suppression. Moreover, an underlying ongoing function appearing in the transition from heard sound to imagined sound could be revealed in the bispectrum domain. A Mu-rhythm modulation provoked by the MNs could cause bispectral fluctuations, especially when visual stimulation is combined with an auditory one for the case of musicians. These results pave the way for further exploitation of the role of MNs in music and, in general, knowledge perception.