Effects of Rhythmic Auditory Stimuli on Drumming‐Based Motor Imagery

Rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) is widely used in motor rehabilitation and is known to entrain auditory–motor networks during movement. However, its influence on motor imagery (MI), a key component of motor learning and brain–computer interface (BCI) applications, remains poorly understood. This study investigated how RAS modulates behavioral performance, neural dynamics, and MI decodability during a drumming‐based imagery task. EEG was recorded during RAS and control sessions while participants performed left‐ and right‐hand MI and motor execution (ME). RAS improved temporal consistency during ME and elicited sustained theta–alpha neural entrainment during MI. Event‐related desynchronization/synchronization (ERD/ERS) analysis revealed robust contralateral desynchronization in both conditions, with greater temporal coherence under RAS. Classification accuracy was significantly higher during the RAS session than during the control session, indicating enhanced MI decodability under rhythmic stimulation. These findings demonstrate that RAS enhances the temporal organization and neural consistency of MI, suggesting that rhythmic cues may help stabilize internal motor representations and improve MI‐based BCI performance. © 2026 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC.