Hand motor learning in a musical context and prefrontal cortex hemodynamic response: a functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) study

Due to movement automatization, the engagement of high-order cognitive processing during the motor execution of a task is expected to decrease over repetitions and practice. In this study, we assessed single session changes in the prefrontal hemodynamic signals in response to training a piano chord progression in an ecological experimental setting. We acquired functional near-infrared spectroscopy signals from 15 subjects without any previous experience on playing keyboard instruments. Our findings were that oxygenated hemoglobin changes at orbitofrontal cortex followed an inverted U-shaped curve over task execution, while the subjects' performance presented a steady slope. These results suggest an initial executive function engagement followed by facilitation of motor execution over time.