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Hyper-Frequency Network Topology Changes During Choral Singing
Open accessAbstract
Choral singing requires the coordination of physiological subsystems within and across individuals. Previously, we suggested that the choir functions as a superordinate system that imposes boundary conditions on the dynamic features of the individual singers and found reliable differences in the network topography by analyzing within- and cross-frequency couplings (WFC and CFC, respectively). Here, we further refine our analyses to investigate hyper-frequency network (HFN) topology structures (i.e., the layout or arrangement of connections) using a graph-theoretical approach. In a sample of eleven singers and one conductor engaged in choral singing (aged between 23 and 56 years, and including five men and seven women), we calculated phase coupling (WFC and CFC) between respiratory, cardiac, and vocalizing subsystems across ten frequencies of interest. All these couplings were used for construction of HFN with nodes being a combination of frequency components and subsystems across choir participants. With regard to the network topology measures, we found that clustering coefficients as well as local and global efficiency were highest and characteristic path lengths, correspondingly, were shortest when the choir sang a canon in parts as compared to singing it in unison. Furthermore, these metrics revealed a significant relationship to individual heart rate, as an indicator of arousal, and to an index of heart rate variability indicated by the LF/HF ratio (low and high frequency, respectively) and reflecting the balance between sympathetic and parasympathetic activity. In addition, we found that the clustering coefficient and local efficiency for groups singing the same canon part were higher than for groups of singers constructed randomly post hoc, indicating stronger neighbor–neighbor connections in the former. We conclude that network topology dynamics are a crucial determinant of group behavior and may represent a potent biomarker for social interaction.
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Müller et al. (2019) identified negative correlations between heart rate, LF/HF ratio and CFC measures during canon singing.
“Müller et al. (2019) identified negative correlations between HR, LF/HF ratio and CFC measures during canon singing.”
From Mapping the Neurophysiological Link Between Voice and Autonomic Function: A Scoping Review (2025) · cites this paper as [30]
In the unison condition, both heart rate and LF/HF decreased with stronger CFC, whereas in the multipart condition, LF/HF decreased with increasing CFC input, indicating distinct autonomic patterns across singing modes.
“In the unison condition, both HR and LF/HF decreased with stronger CFC, whereas in the multipart condition, LF/HF decreased with increasing CFC input, indicating distinct autonomic patterns across singing modes [30].”
From Mapping the Neurophysiological Link Between Voice and Autonomic Function: A Scoping Review (2025) · cites this paper as [30]
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References 35 · Cited by 22
Research works printed but not linked: 30
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Metadata
- Authors
- Müller, V., Delius, J. A. M., & Lindenberger, U.
- Affiliations
- Max Planck Institute for Human Development (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Müller, Viktor
- Lindenberger, Ulman
- Venue
- Frontiers in Physiology
- Publisher
- Frontiers Media SA
- Published
- 2019-03-06
- Volume
- 10
- Pages
- 207-207
- ISSN
- 1664-042X (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC6416178
- OpenAlex
- W2921929556
- Cited by
- 22
- References
- 35
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 6 · 2019: 1
- FWCI
- 2.17
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Frontiers in Physiology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- MPG.PuRe (Max Planck Society) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Funders
- Max-Planck-Gesellschaft
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Heart Rate Variability and Autonomic Control
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Action Observation and Synchronization
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural dynamics and brain function
- Keywords
- choral singing, cross-frequency coupling, heart rate, heart rate variability, LF/HF ratio, clustering coefficient, local efficiency, global efficiency, path length, group behavior, choral conductors
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