A comparative study of EEG microstate dynamics during happy and sad music videos

Gupta, Ashish; Srivastava, Chandan Kumar; Bhushan, Braj; Behera, Laxmidhar · 2025 · Crossref

DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2024.1469468

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Summary

This study investigates the neural dynamics underlying emotional responses to happy and sad music videos, specifically focusing on EEG microstate patterns in the alpha band. Motivated by the need to understand how music influences cognitive functions like attention and mind-wandering, the researchers aimed to identify distinct brain signatures for happiness and sadness. While prior research has linked happy music to improved attention and sad music to introspection, the specific temporal dynamics of these states at the microsecond level remain underexplored. The study hypothesizes that happy music enhances attention-related microstates, while sad music increases activity in networks associated with mind-wandering. The researchers utilized the DEAP dataset, comprising EEG recordings from 32 participants (17 male) listening to 40 musical videos. For this analysis, they selected two specific videos: one rated significantly for happiness and another for sadness. EEG data were pre-processed using Independent Component Analysis (ICA) to remove artifacts and filtered to isolate the alpha band (8–13 Hz). The study employed spatial k-means clustering to identify four prototypical microstates (Classes A–D), associated with auditory, visual, default mode network (DMN), and attention processes, respectively. Additionally, eLoreta source localization was used to estimate current source density (CSD) and functional connectivity across 68 brain regions. Statistical analyses included three-way ANOVAs to assess the effects of gender, stimulus type, and microstate class on parameters such as global explained variance (GEV), coverage, occurrence, duration, and global field power (GFP). The results revealed distinct microstate dynamics for each emotional state. During happy music, participants significantly upregulated Class D microstates (linked to attention) and downregulated Class C microstates (linked to DMN and mind-wandering). This shift led to enhanced GEV, coverage, occurrence, duration, and GFP for Class D. Conversely, sad music produced the opposite effect, increasing Class C activity and decreasing Class D. Source-level analysis showed enhanced CSD in central parietal regions during the happy state for both genders. Furthermore, female participants exhibited diminished functional connectivity in the precuneus during happy music compared to sad music, and generally showed higher mean microstate occurrence than males. The sad state also demonstrated significantly higher mean occurrence than the happy state. These findings suggest that increased Class D activity and central parietal CSD explain the heightened attentiveness observed during happy music listening. In contrast, increased Class C activity and functional connectivity account for the enhanced mind-wandering associated with sad music. The study highlights the utility of EEG microstate analysis in capturing the rapid, dynamic neural changes underlying emotional experiences. By linking specific microstate classes to cognitive processes like attention and mind-wandering, the research provides a mechanistic understanding of how music modulates brain activity, with potential implications for music therapy and cognitive rehabilitation.

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• music audio mood