Lateralised dynamic modulations of corticomuscular coherence associated with bimanual learning of rhythmic patterns

Human movements are spontaneously attracted to auditory rhythms, triggering an automatic activation of the motor system, a central phenomenon to music perception and production. Cortico-muscular coherence (CMC) in the theta, alpha, beta and gamma frequencies has been used as an index of the synchronisation between cortical motor regions and the muscles. Here we investigated how learning to produce a bimanual rhythmic pattern composed of low- and high-pitch sounds affects CMC in the beta frequency band. Electroencephalography (EEG) and electromyography (EMG) from the left and right First Dorsal Interosseus and Flexor Digitorum Superficialis muscles were concurrently recorded during constant pressure on a force sensor held between the thumb and index finger while listening to the rhythmic pattern before and after a bimanual training session. During the training, participants learnt to produce the rhythmic pattern guided by visual cues by pressing the force sensors with their left or right hand to produce the low- and high-pitch sounds, respectively. Results revealed no changes after training in overall beta CMC or beta oscillation amplitude, nor in the correlation between the left and right sides for EEG and EMG separately. However, correlation analyses indicated that left- and right-hand beta EEG–EMG coherence were positively correlated over time before training but became uncorrelated after training. This suggests that learning to bimanually produce a rhythmic musical pattern reinforces lateralised and segregated cortico-muscular communication.