University of London
Goldsmiths
Music Performance
Music Performance Anxiety
Music performance anxiety (MPA) is marked by fear or anxiety in performance settings involving potential evaluation, affecting a wide range of professionals and students. It significantly affects health, education, and career progression, yet the mechanisms by which MPA influences performance in skilled musicians are not well-understood.
Our research combines neuroscientific and performance data with computational modelling to understand the behavioural, cognitive, and neurobiological processes underlying MPA. Key areas include assessing learning biases, examining how uncertainty and high stakes affect performance, and distinguishing the detrimental versus beneficial effects of MPA. We employ various approaches to assess MPA, including immersive virtual reality, to modulate MPA in musicians and systematically address these questions
Pharmacological effects on performance
Musicians affected by debilitating music performance anxiety (MPA) often rely on beta blockers to mitigate their physiological symptoms, such as increased heart rate, before a performance. This prevalent use raises concerns: while beta blockers mitigate short-term bodily symptoms, they may lead users to forgo effective long-term interventions (e.g., cognitive or meditation-based therapies). Additionally, some musicians indicate that beta blockers may reduce performance quality, occasionally reporting a lack of flow or diminished sense of control during performance. However, a significant research gap remains in our understanding of the systematic effects of beta blockers on performance.
Our project quantifies the effects of beta blockers, specifically propranolol, on various aspects of performance, from fine motor control to naturalistic, memory-based performances that lead to flow. Conducted as a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, skilled pianists participate in two sessions (propranolol and placebo). By integrating neuroscientific and performance data with computational models of learning and decision-making, we aim to identify the dimensions of performance affected by noradrenaline blockade, a neurotransmitter crucial for mobilising the physical or mental energy required to achieve a goal.
Publications
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Hein, T. P., Gong, Z., Ivanova, M., Fedele, T., Nikulin, V., & Herrojo Ruiz, M. (2023). Anterior cingulate and medial prefrontal cortex oscillations underlie learning alterations in trait anxiety in humans. Communications Biology, 6(1), 271.
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Sporn, S., Hein, T., & Herrojo Ruiz, M. (2020). Alterations in the amplitude and burst rate of beta oscillations impair reward-dependent motor learning in anxiety. Elife, 9, e50654.
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Bury, G., García-Huéscar, M., Bhattacharya, J., & Ruiz, M. H. (2019). Cardiac afferent activity modulates early neural signature of error detection during skilled performance. NeuroImage, 199, 704-717.
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Herrojo Ruiz, M., Maess, B., Altenmüller, E., Curio, G., & Nikulin, V. V. (2017). Cingulate and cerebellar beta oscillations are engaged in the acquisition of auditory‐motor sequences. Human Brain Mapping, 38(10), 5161-5179.
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Ruiz, M. H., Strübing, F., Jabusch, H. C., & Altenmüller, E. (2011). EEG oscillatory patterns are associated with error prediction during music performance and are altered in musician's dystonia. Neuroimage, 55(4), 1791-1803.
Learn more about research on the neuroscience of music performance by Dr Maria Herrojo Ruiz