Name:Giorgio, Lazzari

School/Affiliation:University of Pavia

Co-Authors:Giulio Costantini, Stefania La Rocca, Andrea Massironi, Luigi Cattaneo, Virginia Penhune, Carlotta Lega

Virtual or In-person:In-person

Abstract:

Humans can flexibly extract a regular beat from complex auditory patterns, such as music. Contemporary models of beat perception suggest that the premotor cortex (PMC) and the supplementary motor area (SMA) are integral to this process. However, how these motor planning regions actively contribute to beat perception, along with any potential hemispheric specialization, remain open questions. Therefore, following the validation of stimuli in a behavioral experiment, we employed transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to causally test the contribution of these regions to beat perception. In TMS Study 1 we applied repetitive online TMS over a defined grid encompassing the right rostral and caudal dPMC, SMA and pre-SMA, and a sham location over primary motor cortex. Results showed that stimulation of the caudal portion of right dPMC selectively affected beat perception compared to all other regions. In TMS Study 2 (preregistered) we tested the lateralization of this contribution by applying rTMS over right caudal dPMC and the homologous region of the left hemisphere. Our results showed that only stimulation over right, but not left, dPMC modulated beat perception. Finally, across all three experiments, individual differences in musical reward sensitivity predicted beat perception performance. These outcomes align with recent models emphasizing the dorsal auditory stream’s role in auditory beat-based temporal perception and highlight the dPMC’s significance in generating internal action predictions and perceptual expectations regarding ongoing sequential events. Furthermore, they fit with the dominant role of the right dorsal stream in auditory-motor integration in the context of music, including rhythm perception and production.