Neural substrates of Indian classical percussive Improvisation: A case study investigation of tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain

• Tabla master Zakir Hussain (ZH) served as case study in fMRI scanning experiment. • Tasks were tailored to ZH’s expertise in tabla perception and improvisation. • More language and proprioceptive activity seen when listening to tabla bols vs. English speech. • ZH showed DLPFC deactivation while improvising but not when playing from memory. • ZH showed neural patterns of improvisation similar to studies of Western musicians. Creativity is a quintessential behavior underlying innovation and cultural evolution. Improvisation occurs each time we execute an unplanned action, with musical improvisation being a complex form of creative behavior. Here, we studied Indian tabla percussionist Zakir Hussain (ZH), widely regarded as the greatest tabla master, as a case study. ZH performed a perception and an improvisation task inside an fMRI scanner. Because no adequate control group exists for a tabla master of ZH’s caliber, we employed internal controls where each paradigm featured an experimental task compared to a matched control. In our first paradigm, ZH listened to English speech or tabla bols; listening to bols activated ZH’s language and proprioceptive areas more than listening to speech. In our second paradigm, ZH performed an unconstrained improvisation on a single tabla drum, resulting in the deactivation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), a region known to be involved in conscious self-monitoring. DLPFC deactivation has been observed in jazz experts when improvising, suggesting a common neural mechanism of musical improvisation across musical traditions and genres. Additionally, this experiment offers insight into the creative mind of an unparalleled musician, deepening the current understanding of the neural correlates of generative musical creativity.