Hyperscanning: A Valid Method to Study Neural Inter-brain Underpinnings of Social Interaction

Abstract

Social interactions are a crucial part of human life. Understanding the neural underpinnings of social interactions is a challenging task that the hyperscanning method has been trying to tackle over the last two decades. Here, we review the existing literature and evaluate the current state of the hyperscanning method. We review the type of methods (fMRI, M/EEG, and fNIRS) that are used to measure brain activity from more than one participant simultaneously and weigh their pros and cons for hyperscanning. Further, we discuss different types of analyses that are used to estimate brain networks and synchronization. Lastly, we present results of hyperscanning studies in the context of different cognitive functions and their relations to social interactions. All in all, we aim to comprehensively present methods, analyses, and results from the last 20 years of hyperscanning research.

What has social neuroscience learned from hyperscanning studies of spoken communication? A systematic review

“…6. Emerging virtual and augmented reality technologies may offer opportunities to implement imaginative experimental conditions and incorporate creative social and linguistic scenarios (Czeszumski et al, 2020).…”

“…Rather, it involves entering into dynamic conceptual alignment as ambiguity of connotation is overcome and episodes of reciprocal understanding are shared (Schoot et al, 2016). To date, research in social interaction and communication has focused on interactive brain activity, exploring the functional equivalence and temporal phase harmonization between communicators, such as IBS, coupling, alignment, or entrainment (Czeszumski et al, 2020;Pérez et al, 2017;Redcay and Schilbach, 2019). Research methods have extended from traditional methods, focusing on individual brain activity, to hyperscanning that aims to measure brain activity of multiple brains simultaneously.…”

“…Several systematic reviews on hyperscanning have been published (e.g., Babiloni and Astolfi, 2014;Czeszumski et al, 2020;Dumas et al, 2011;Konvalinka and Roepstorff, 2012;Wang et al, 2018). However, given that these studies do not focus on hyperscanning during language production and reception, and that hyperscanning research on verbal communication has been increasing in recent years, a more specific review in this area is J o u r n a l P r e -p r o o f warranted.…”

Special Report on the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Clinical EEG and Research and Consensus Recommendations for the Safe Use of EEG

“…166 A more recent application of functional connectivity concerns the study of how information is exchanged between individuals during the performance of a common task (hyperbrain studies). The results from hyperbrain scanning have helped elucidate neural mechanisms of social interaction and have identified neural networks and electrophysiological biomarkers associated with cooperative and competitive behaviors (for reviews, see Czeszumski et al 167 and Balconi and Vanuelli 168 ). Recently, researchers have also started to investigate group dynamics in ecological settings during full-body motor interactions 169,170 and to explore the effect of being face-to-face on interpersonal relationships and brain-to-brain synchrony.…”

Neural Correlates of Group Versus Individual Problem Solving Revealed by fMRI

“…The virtual character technique introduces a realistically human virtual character that communicates with the participant in a face-to-face manner and systematically implements experimental conditions, such as gaze direction (Schilbach et al, 2006(Schilbach et al, , 2013 or the demonstration of pain from an electric shock in the virtual Milgram's paradigm (Cheetham et al, 2009). Hari et al (2015) proposed that the key to the neuroimaging of real social interactions lies in the advanced technology of hyperscanning, which provides the simultaneous registration of brain activity in two or more interacting participants who communicate either face-to-face or via the Internet (Montague et al, 2002;Koike et al, 2015;Czeszumski et al, 2020). During fMRI, the dual-head coil allows for hyperscanning while participants are involved in simple face-to-face sensorimotor interactions (Lee et al, 2012).…”