Title
Brains "in concert": Frontal oscillatory alpha rhythms and empathy in professional musicians.
Abstract
Playing music in ensemble represents a unique human condition/performance where musicians should rely on empathic relationships. Recent theories attribute to frontal Brodmann areas (BAs) 44/45 and 10/11 a neural basis for “emotional” and “cognitive” empathy. We hypothesized that activity of these structures reflects empathy trait in professional musicians playing in ensemble. Simultaneous electroencephalographic (EEG) alpha rhythms (8–12Hz) were recorded in three saxophone quartets during music performance in ensemble (EXECUTION), video observation of their own performance (OBSERVATION), a control task (CONTROL), and resting state (RESTING). EEG source estimation was performed. Results showed that the higher the empathy quotient test score, the higher the alpha desynchronization in right BA 44/45 during the OBSERVATION referenced to RESTING condition. Empathy trait score and alpha desynchronization were not correlated in other control areas or in EXECUTION/CONTROL conditions. These results suggest that alpha rhythms in BA 44/45 reflect “emotional” empathy in musicians observing own performance.
Year
DOI
Venue
2012
10.1016/j.neuroimage.2011.12.008
NeuroImage
Keywords
Field
DocType
Expert musicians,Electroencephalography (EEG),Alpha rhythms,Standardized low resolution brain electromagnetic source tomography (sLORETA),Empathy
Empathy,Alpha (ethology),Brain mapping,Developmental psychology,Test score,Resting state fMRI,Cognitive psychology,Psychology,Cognition,Empathy quotient,Electroencephalography
Journal
Volume
Issue
ISSN
60
1
1053-8119
Citations 
PageRank 
References 
6
0.60
10
Authors
10