Neuromuscular and brain underpinnings of intrapersonal and interpersonal motor coordination

The Inria Saclay-Île-de-France Research Centre was established in 2008. It has developed as part of the Saclay site in partnership with Paris-Saclay University and with the Institut Polytechnique de Paris .

The centre has 40 projects teams, 27 of which operate jointly with Paris-Saclay University and the Institut Polytechnique de Paris; Its activities occupy over 600 people, scientists and research and innovation support staff, including 44 different nationalities.

Within the framework of a partnership public with academic partners (Texas A&M University)

Is regular travel foreseen for this post ? NA.

Assignments :
With the help of Dr. Arnaud Boutin, the recruited person will be taken to work on preprocessing and analyzing EEG data collected from an EEG-hyperscanning experiment (simultaneous recording of two EEG signals). The ideal candidate should have experience with EEG analysis (e.g., EEGLAB, MNE, or Python/Matlab toolboxes) and an interest in motor control and learning, and/or social neuroscience.

For a better knowledge of the proposed research subject :

The ability to coordinate actions–either between one’s own limbs or with another person–is essential for many tasks, from opening a jar to playing a musical duet. Intrapersonal (bimanual) coordination occurs when an individual synchronizes their limbs, while interpersonal (social) coordination arises when two individuals coordinate their actions to achieve a shared goal. Research has identified two stable coordination patterns: in-phase (0°) and anti-phase (180°), while more complex patterns (e.g., 90° or multifrequency) are more difficult to achieve. Kennedy et al. (2021) showed that bimanual coordination can produce stable multifrequency patterns with minimal practice when using Lissajous feedback displays. Behavioral and neuromuscular findings indicate that bimanual coordination is more stable than interpersonal coordination, likely due to interhemispheric neural crosstalk via the corpus callosum. In contrast, interpersonal coordination per se does not involve the use of such distributed information between the limbs because they do not share neurological linkage. Yet, whether neural crosstalk is responsible for performance enhancement remains to be determined. To address this, we used a cutting-edge electroencephalography (EEG) hyperscanning method to simultaneously record neural activity from two individuals performing coordinated movements, providing insights into shared brain dynamics during social coordination.

Collaboration :
The recruited person will be in connection with Dr. Arnaud Boutin (Université Paris-Saclay) who is supervising this project, in collaboration with Dr. Deanna Kennedy (Texas A&M University).

Responsibilities :
The person recruited is responsible for the preprocessing and analysis of EEG data.

Steering/Management :
NA.

Main activities:

The recruited person will be taken to work on preprocessing and analyzing EEG data collected from an EEG-hyperscanning experiment

Examples of activities:

• Analyse the EEG data (HyPyP, EEGlab, customs Python/Matlab programs etc.)
• Write reports
• Present the works’ progress to partners

Technical skills and level required : Expertise in signal processing and analysis

Languages : French, English

Relational skills : NA

Other valued appreciated : Interested in cognitive and/or behavioral neuroscience would be a plus 

• Subsidized meals
• Partial reimbursement of public transport costs
• Leave
• Possibility of teleworking and flexible organization of working hours
• Professional equipment available (videoconferencing, loan of computer equipment, etc.)
• Social, cultural and sports events and activities