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PERSPECTIVE article

Front. Hum. Neurosci.
Sec. Cognitive Neuroscience
Volume 18 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2024.1497034
This article is part of the Research Topic Interpersonal Synchrony and Network Dynamics in Social Interaction: Volume II View all 7 articles

Hyperscanning: From Inter-brain Coupling to Causality

Provisionally accepted
Andrey Markus Andrey Markus 1,2*Simone G. Shamay-Tsoory Simone G. Shamay-Tsoory 1,2
  • 1 Department of Psychology, School of Psychology, University of Haifa, Hiafa, Israel
  • 2 Integrated Brain and Behavior Research Center, University of Haifa, Haifa, Haifa, Israel

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    In hyperscanning studies, participants perform a joint task while their brain activation is simultaneously recorded. Evidence of inter-brain coupling is examined, in these studies, as a predictor of behavioral change. While the field of hyperscanning has made significant strides in unravelling the associations between inter-brain coupling and changes in social interactions, drawing causal conclusions between brain and behavior remains challenging. This difficulty arises from factors like the inherently different timescales of behavioral responses and measured cerebral activity, as well as the predominant focus of existing methods on associations rather than causality. Specifically, a question remains as to whether inter-brain coupling between specific brain regions leads to changes in behavioral synchrony, or vice-versa.We propose two novel approaches to addressing this question. The first method involves using dyadic neurofeedback, wherein instances of inter-brain coupling are directly reinforced. Such a system could examine if continuous changes of inter-brain coupling are the result of deliberate mutual attempts to synchronize. The second method employs statistical approaches, including Granger causality and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Granger causality assesses the predictive influence of one time series on another, enabling the identification of directional neural interactions that drive behavior. SEM allows for detailed modeling of both direct and indirect effects of inter-brain coupling on behavior. We provide an example of data analysis with the SEM approach, discuss the advantages and limitations of each approach and posit that applying these approaches could provide significant insights into how inter-brain coupling supports crucial processes that occur in social interactions.

    Keywords: hyperscanning, Structual Equation Model, Causality - Causal modelling, Neurofeedback, fNIRS (functional near infrared spectroscopy)

    Received: 16 Sep 2024; Accepted: 21 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Markus and Shamay-Tsoory. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Andrey Markus, Department of Psychology, School of Psychology, University of Haifa, Hiafa, 3498838, Israel

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.