The Role of the Mirror System in Influencing Musicians’ Evaluation of Musical Creativity: A tDCS Study

Abstract

Evidence reported in the literature suggests that the mirror system not only plays a role in recognizing motor action but also fosters a better understanding of other people because it helps an individual assume another’s perspective. This led to the idea, supported by research findings, that people with higher empathy scores should show higher activation of the mirror system. Recently, it has been hypothesized that a purely auditory mirror system exists. In this study, we aimed to explore the possibility that this system might play a particular role for musicians. Specifically, this system would impact their response to a new piece of music by using non-invasive brain stimulation to modulate the activation of the mirror system. A sample of 40 young musicians was involved in this study. Half of the participants were randomly assigned to a cathodal stimulation condition, while the other half was used as a control. After listening to a new piece of music, participants were asked to rate the creativity of the piece (by focusing on how interesting, innovative, and exciting the piece was) as well as their general emotional response to it. Their empathy levels were also assessed using the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI). Results showed that the cathodal stimulation of the mirror system negatively affected both the perception of creativity (level of innovation) and the emotional response to the music. There was no significant difference in the ratings of how interesting the piece was perceived. The effect was mediated by the individuals’ level of empathy. Specifically, empathic concern and fantasy dimensions increased the evaluation of creativity. Results also showed that participants reported less emotion with a negative valence in the cathodal stimulation condition.

The role of mirror system in influencing the valence evaluation of words: a TMS study

“…Система зеркальных нейронов (СЗН) привлекает к себе внимание исследователей с момента её первого обнаружения у макак [1]. Дальнейшее изучение СЗН у человека позволило выявить наличие слуховой зеркальной системы, задействованной в процессе эмпатического сопереживания [2] и музыкального творчества [3]. СЗН облегчает имитацию действий после наблюдения за ними, таким образом способствуя обучению новым навыкам и улучшению понимания наблюдаемой активности.…”

“…

The mirror neuron system (MNS) has been a captivating area of research since its discovery in macaque monkeys [1]. Researchers have established the role and presence of the human auditory mirror system in both empathy [2] and musical creativity [3]. As well, the mirror system allows to learn new behaviors by observation, facilitating knowledge acquisition and action understanding.

…”

Transcranial Electrical Stimulation Offers the Possibility of Improving Teamwork Among Military Pilots: A Review

“…The mirror neuron system plays an important role in imitation activities, interpersonal learning, and other behaviors (Oberman et al, 2007;Mainieri et al, 2013;Meng Yuan et al, 2018), and autism is considered in part to be related to dysfunction in the mirror neuron system (Hamilton, 2008). A previous study has shown that cathode tDCS significantly reduced musicians' assessment of musical creativity, which was related to the mediating effect of empathy (Colombo et al, 2021). Anodal tDCS intervention on the right inferior frontal gyrus of healthy subjects is thought to induce imitative behavior in social interaction (Hogeveen et al, 2015).…”