Tapping in synchrony to auditory rhythms: effect of temporal structure on behavior and neural activity

Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2005 Dec:1060:400-3. doi: 10.1196/annals.1360.044.

Abstract

This study examines how synchronizing movements to auditory rhythms affects behavioral performance and neural activity as assessed using fMRI. Subjects perform worse as they tap along with increasingly complex musical rhythms, with responses becoming progressively asynchronous. This behavioral change also correlates with increasing neural activity in several motor-related brain regions, such as the cerebellum and premotor cortex (medial and lateral), highlighting the role of these areas in auditory-motor interactions during temporal processing.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Acoustic Stimulation
  • Auditory Cortex
  • Auditory Pathways*
  • Auditory Perception
  • Behavior*
  • Brain Mapping
  • Cerebellum / pathology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Male
  • Motor Activity*
  • Motor Cortex
  • Neural Pathways*
  • Time Factors