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Ventre-Dominey J. Vestibular function in the temporal and parietal cortex: distinct velocity and inertial processing pathways. Front Integr Neurosci 2014; 8:53. [PMID: 25071481 PMCID: PMC4082317 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2014.00053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2014] [Accepted: 06/05/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
A number of behavioral and neuroimaging studies have reported converging data in favor of a cortical network for vestibular function, distributed between the temporo-parietal cortex and the prefrontal cortex in the primate. In this review, we focus on the role of the cerebral cortex in visuo-vestibular integration including the motion sensitive temporo-occipital areas i.e., the middle superior temporal area (MST) and the parietal cortex. Indeed, these two neighboring cortical regions, though they both receive combined vestibular and visual information, have distinct implications in vestibular function. In sum, this review of the literature leads to the idea of two separate cortical vestibular sub-systems forming (1) a velocity pathway including MST and direct descending pathways on vestibular nuclei. As it receives well-defined visual and vestibular velocity signals, this pathway is likely involved in heading perception and rapid top-down regulation of eye/head coordination and (2) an inertial processing pathway involving the parietal cortex in connection with the subcortical vestibular nuclei complex responsible for velocity storage integration. This vestibular cortical pathway would be implicated in high-order multimodal integration and cognitive functions, including world space and self-referential processing.
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Perspectives and possible applications of the rubber hand and virtual hand illusion in non-invasive rehabilitation: Technological improvements and their consequences. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2014; 44:33-44. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.02.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2013] [Revised: 02/08/2014] [Accepted: 02/28/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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53
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Kaplan RA, Enticott PG, Hohwy J, Castle DJ, Rossell SL. Is body dysmorphic disorder associated with abnormal bodily self-awareness? A study using the rubber hand illusion. PLoS One 2014; 9:e99981. [PMID: 24925079 PMCID: PMC4055788 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0099981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2013] [Accepted: 05/21/2014] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Evidence from past research suggests that behaviours and characteristics related to body dissatisfaction may be associated with greater instability of perceptual body image, possibly due to problems in the integration of body-related multisensory information. We investigated whether people with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), a condition characterised by body image disturbances, demonstrated enhanced susceptibility to the rubber hand illusion (RHI), which arises as a result of multisensory integration processes when a rubber hand and the participant's hidden real hand are stimulated in synchrony. Overall, differences in RHI experience between the BDD group and healthy and schizophrenia control groups (n = 17 in each) were not significant. RHI strength, however, was positively associated with body dissatisfaction and related tendencies. For the healthy control group, proprioceptive drift towards the rubber hand was observed following synchronous but not asynchronous stimulation, a typical pattern when inducing the RHI. Similar drifts in proprioceptive awareness occurred for the BDD group irrespective of whether stimulation was synchronous or not. These results are discussed in terms of possible abnormalities in visual processing and multisensory integration among people with BDD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan A. Kaplan
- School of Psychology and Psychiatry, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
- Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, The Alfred and Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Peter G. Enticott
- Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, The Alfred and Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Burwood, Australia
| | - Jakob Hohwy
- School of Philosophical, Historical, and International Studies, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - David J. Castle
- Department of Psychiatry, St. Vincent's Hospital and University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Susan L. Rossell
- Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, The Alfred and Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
- Brain and Psychological Sciences Research Centre, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia
- Department of Psychiatry, St. Vincent's Hospital and University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
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Mast FW, Preuss N, Hartmann M, Grabherr L. Spatial cognition, body representation and affective processes: the role of vestibular information beyond ocular reflexes and control of posture. Front Integr Neurosci 2014; 8:44. [PMID: 24904327 PMCID: PMC4035009 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2014.00044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2014] [Accepted: 05/13/2014] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
A growing number of studies in humans demonstrate the involvement of vestibular information in tasks that are seemingly remote from well-known functions such as space constancy or postural control. In this review article we point out three emerging streams of research highlighting the importance of vestibular input: (1) Spatial Cognition: Modulation of vestibular signals can induce specific changes in spatial cognitive tasks like mental imagery and the processing of numbers. This has been shown in studies manipulating body orientation (changing the input from the otoliths), body rotation (changing the input from the semicircular canals), in clinical findings with vestibular patients, and in studies carried out in microgravity. There is also an effect in the reverse direction; top-down processes can affect perception of vestibular stimuli. (2) Body Representation: Numerous studies demonstrate that vestibular stimulation changes the representation of body parts, and sensitivity to tactile input or pain. Thus, the vestibular system plays an integral role in multisensory coordination of body representation. (3) Affective Processes and Disorders: Studies in psychiatric patients and patients with a vestibular disorder report a high comorbidity of vestibular dysfunctions and psychiatric symptoms. Recent studies investigated the beneficial effect of vestibular stimulation on psychiatric disorders, and how vestibular input can change mood and affect. These three emerging streams of research in vestibular science are-at least in part-associated with different neuronal core mechanisms. Spatial transformations draw on parietal areas, body representation is associated with somatosensory areas, and affective processes involve insular and cingulate cortices, all of which receive vestibular input. Even though a wide range of different vestibular cortical projection areas has been ascertained, their functionality still is scarcely understood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fred W Mast
- Department of Psychology, University of Bern Bern, Switzerland ; Center for Cognition, Learning and Memory, University of Bern Bern, Switzerland
| | - Nora Preuss
- Department of Psychology, University of Bern Bern, Switzerland ; Center for Cognition, Learning and Memory, University of Bern Bern, Switzerland
| | - Matthias Hartmann
- Department of Psychology, University of Bern Bern, Switzerland ; Center for Cognition, Learning and Memory, University of Bern Bern, Switzerland
| | - Luzia Grabherr
- Sansom Institute for Health Research, University of South Australia Adelaide, SA, Australia
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Falconer CJ, Mast FW. Balancing the mind: vestibular induced facilitation of egocentric mental transformations. Exp Psychol 2014; 59:332-9. [PMID: 22750744 DOI: 10.1027/1618-3169/a000161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The body schema is a key component in accomplishing egocentric mental transformations, which rely on bodily reference frames. These reference frames are based on a plurality of different cognitive and sensory cues among which the vestibular system plays a prominent role. We investigated whether a bottom-up influence of vestibular stimulation modulates the ability to perform egocentric mental transformations. Participants were significantly faster to make correct spatial judgments during vestibular stimulation as compared to sham stimulation. Interestingly, no such effects were found for mental transformation of hand stimuli or during mental transformations of letters, thus showing a selective influence of vestibular stimulation on the rotation of whole-body reference frames. Furthermore, we found an interaction with the angle of rotation and vestibular stimulation demonstrating an increase in facilitation during mental body rotations in a direction congruent with rightward vestibular afferents. We propose that facilitation reflects a convergence in shared brain areas that process bottom-up vestibular signals and top-down imagined whole-body rotations, including the precuneus and tempero-parietal junction. Ultimately, our results show that vestibular information can influence higher-order cognitive processes, such as the body schema and mental imagery.
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Palla A, Lenggenhager B. Ways to investigate vestibular contributions to cognitive processes. Front Integr Neurosci 2014; 8:40. [PMID: 24860448 PMCID: PMC4030131 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2014.00040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2013] [Accepted: 04/24/2014] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Antonella Palla
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Zurich Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Bigna Lenggenhager
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Zurich Zurich, Switzerland ; Zurich Center for Integrative Human Physiology, Institute of Physiology, University of Zurich Zurich, Switzerland
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57
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Pfeiffer C, Serino A, Blanke O. The vestibular system: a spatial reference for bodily self-consciousness. Front Integr Neurosci 2014; 8:31. [PMID: 24860446 PMCID: PMC4028995 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2014.00031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2013] [Accepted: 03/20/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Self-consciousness is the remarkable human experience of being a subject: the "I". Self-consciousness is typically bound to a body, and particularly to the spatial dimensions of the body, as well as to its location and displacement in the gravitational field. Because the vestibular system encodes head position and movement in three-dimensional space, vestibular cortical processing likely contributes to spatial aspects of bodily self-consciousness. We review here recent data showing vestibular effects on first-person perspective (the feeling from where "I" experience the world) and self-location (the feeling where "I" am located in space). We compare these findings to data showing vestibular effects on mental spatial transformation, self-motion perception, and body representation showing vestibular contributions to various spatial representations of the body with respect to the external world. Finally, we discuss the role for four posterior brain regions that process vestibular and other multisensory signals to encode spatial aspects of bodily self-consciousness: temporoparietal junction, parietoinsular vestibular cortex, ventral intraparietal region, and medial superior temporal region. We propose that vestibular processing in these cortical regions is critical in linking multisensory signals from the body (personal and peripersonal space) with external (extrapersonal) space. Therefore, the vestibular system plays a critical role for neural representations of spatial aspects of bodily self-consciousness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Pfeiffer
- Center for Neuroprosthetics, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne Lausanne, Switzerland ; Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Andrea Serino
- Center for Neuroprosthetics, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne Lausanne, Switzerland ; Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne Lausanne, Switzerland ; Department of Psychology, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna Bologna, Italy
| | - Olaf Blanke
- Center for Neuroprosthetics, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne Lausanne, Switzerland ; Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne Lausanne, Switzerland ; Department of Neurology, University Hospital Geneva Geneva, Switzerland
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58
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Abstract
Manipulation of hand posture, such as crossing the hands, has been frequently used to study how the body and its immediately surrounding space are represented in the brain. Abundant data show that crossed arms posture impairs remapping of tactile stimuli from somatotopic to external space reference frame and deteriorates performance on several tactile processing tasks. Here we investigated how impaired tactile remapping affects the illusory self-touch, induced by the non-visual variant of the rubber hand illusion (RHI) paradigm. In this paradigm blindfolded participants (Experiment 1) had their hands either uncrossed or crossed over the body midline. The strength of illusory self-touch was measured with questionnaire ratings and proprioceptive drift. Our results showed that, during synchronous tactile stimulation, the strength of illusory self-touch increased when hands were crossed compared to the uncrossed posture. Follow-up experiments showed that the increase in illusion strength was not related to unfamiliar hand position (Experiment 2) and that it was equally strengthened regardless of where in the peripersonal space the hands were crossed (Experiment 3). However, while the boosting effect of crossing the hands was evident from subjective ratings, the proprioceptive drift was not modulated by crossed posture. Finally, in contrast to the illusion increase in the non-visual RHI, the crossed hand postures did not alter illusory ownership or proprioceptive drift in the classical, visuo-tactile version of RHI (Experiment 4). We argue that the increase in illusory self-touch is related to misalignment of somatotopic and external reference frames and consequently inadequate tactile-proprioceptive integration, leading to re-weighting of the tactile and proprioceptive signals.The present study not only shows that illusory self-touch can be induced by crossing the hands, but importantly, that this posture is associated with a stronger illusion.
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59
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Deroualle D, Lopez C. Toward a vestibular contribution to social cognition. Front Integr Neurosci 2014; 8:16. [PMID: 24592217 PMCID: PMC3924147 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2014.00016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2013] [Accepted: 01/28/2014] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Diane Deroualle
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Intégratives et Adaptatives, UMR 7260, Centre Saint Charles, Fédération de Recherche 3C, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Aix-Marseille Université Marseille, France
| | - Christophe Lopez
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Intégratives et Adaptatives, UMR 7260, Centre Saint Charles, Fédération de Recherche 3C, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Aix-Marseille Université Marseille, France
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60
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Lenggenhager B, Arnold CA, Giummarra MJ. Phantom limbs: pain, embodiment, and scientific advances in integrative therapies. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. COGNITIVE SCIENCE 2014; 5:221-31. [PMID: 26304309 DOI: 10.1002/wcs.1277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2013] [Revised: 11/30/2013] [Accepted: 12/29/2013] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Research over the past two decades has begun to identify some of the key mechanisms underlying phantom limb pain and sensations; however, this continues to be a clinically challenging condition to manage. Treatment of phantom pain, like all chronic pain conditions, demands a holistic approach that takes into consideration peripheral, spinal, and central neuroplastic mechanisms. In this review, we focus on nonpharmacological treatments tailored to reverse the maladaptive neuroplasticity associated with phantom pain. Recent scientific advances emerging from interdisciplinary research between neuroscience, virtual reality, robotics, and prosthetics show the greatest promise for alternative embodiment and maintaining the integrity of the multifaceted representation of the body in the brain. Importantly, these advances have been found to prevent and reduce phantom limb pain. In particular, therapies that involve sensory and/or motor retraining, most naturally through the use of integrative prosthetic devices, as well as peripheral (e.g., transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) or central (e.g., transcranial magnetic stimulation or deep brain stimulation) stimulation techniques, have been found to both restore the neural representation of the missing limb and to reduce the intensity of phantom pain. While the evidence for the efficacy of these therapies is mounting, but well-controlled and large-scale studies are still needed. WIREs Cogn Sci 2014, 5:221-231. doi: 10.1002/wcs.1277 CONFLICT OF INTEREST: The authors have no financial or other relationship that might lead to a conflict of interest. For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bigna Lenggenhager
- Neuropsychology Unit, Department of Neurology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Carolyn A Arnold
- Caulfield Pain Management & Research Centre, Caulfield Hospital, Caulfield, Victoria, Australia.,Academic Board of Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Melita J Giummarra
- Caulfield Pain Management & Research Centre, Caulfield Hospital, Caulfield, Victoria, Australia.,School of Psychological Science, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
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61
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Postmes L, Sno HN, Goedhart S, van der Stel J, Heering HD, de Haan L. Schizophrenia as a self-disorder due to perceptual incoherence. Schizophr Res 2014; 152:41-50. [PMID: 23973319 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2013.07.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2013] [Revised: 07/09/2013] [Accepted: 07/11/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
The aim of this review is to describe the potential relationship between multisensory disintegration and self-disorders in schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Sensory processing impairments affecting multisensory integration have been demonstrated in schizophrenia. From a developmental perspective multisensory integration is considered to be crucial for normal self-experience. An impairment of multisensory integration is called 'perceptual incoherence'. We theorize that perceptual incoherence may evoke incoherent self-experiences including depersonalization, ambivalence, diminished sense of agency, and 'loosening of associations' between thoughts, feelings and actions that lie within the framework of 'self-disorders' as described by Sass and Parnas (2003). We postulate that subconscious attempts to restore perceptual coherence may induce hallucinations and delusions. Increased insight into mechanisms underlying 'self-disorders' may enhance our understanding of schizophrenia, improve recognition of early psychosis, and extend the range of therapeutic possibilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Postmes
- GGZ Leiden, Department Early Psychosis (KEP) Leiden, Sandifortdreef 19, 2333 ZZ Leiden, the Netherlands.
| | - H N Sno
- ZMC, Zaans Medical Centre, the Netherlands
| | - S Goedhart
- ZMC, Zaans Medical Centre, the Netherlands
| | | | - H D Heering
- AMC, Academic Psychiatric Centre, Department Early Psychosis, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - L de Haan
- AMC, Academic Psychiatric Centre, Department Early Psychosis, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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62
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Tremblay L, Kennedy A, Paleressompoulle D, Borel L, Mouchnino L, Blouin J. Biases in the perception of self-motion during whole-body acceleration and deceleration. Front Integr Neurosci 2013; 7:90. [PMID: 24379764 PMCID: PMC3864246 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2013.00090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2013] [Accepted: 11/21/2013] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Several studies have investigated whether vestibular signals can be processed to determine the magnitude of passive body motions. Many of them required subjects to report their perceived displacements offline, i.e., after being submitted to passive displacements. Here, we used a protocol that allowed us to complement these results by asking subjects to report their introspective estimation of their displacement continuously, i.e., during the ongoing body rotation. To this end, participants rotated the handle of a manipulandum around a vertical axis to indicate their perceived change of angular position in space at the same time as they were passively rotated in the dark. The rotation acceleration (Acc) and deceleration (Dec) lasted either 1.5 s (peak of 60°/s2, referred to as being “High”) or 3 s (peak of 33°/s2, referred to as being “Low”). The participants were rotated either counter-clockwise or clockwise, and all combinations of acceleration and deceleration were tested (i.e., AccLow-DecLow; AccLow-DecHigh; AccHigh-DecLow; AccHigh-DecHigh). The participants’ perception of body rotation was assessed by computing the gain, i.e., ratio between the amplitude of the perceived rotations (as measured by the rotating manipulandum’s handle) and the amplitude of the actual chair rotations. The gain was measured at the end of the rotations, and was also computed separately for the acceleration and deceleration phases. Three salient findings resulted from this experiment: (i) the gain was much greater during body acceleration than during body deceleration, (ii) the gain was greater during High compared to Low accelerations and (iii) the gain measured during the deceleration was influenced by the preceding acceleration (i.e., Low or High). These different effects of the angular stimuli on the perception of body motion can be interpreted in relation to the consequences of body acceleration and deceleration on the vestibular system and on higher-order cognitive processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luc Tremblay
- Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, University of Toronto Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Andrew Kennedy
- Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, University of Toronto Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Dany Paleressompoulle
- Fédération de Recherche 3C Comportement-Cerveau-Cognition, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - Aix-Marseille University Marseille, France
| | - Liliane Borel
- Fédération de Recherche 3C Comportement-Cerveau-Cognition, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - Aix-Marseille University Marseille, France ; Laboratoire de Neurosciences Intégratives et Adaptatives, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - Aix-Marseille University Marseille, France
| | - Laurence Mouchnino
- Fédération de Recherche 3C Comportement-Cerveau-Cognition, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - Aix-Marseille University Marseille, France ; Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - Aix-Marseille University Marseille, France
| | - Jean Blouin
- Fédération de Recherche 3C Comportement-Cerveau-Cognition, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - Aix-Marseille University Marseille, France ; Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - Aix-Marseille University Marseille, France
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63
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Ferrè ER, Arthur K, Haggard P. Galvanic vestibular stimulation increases novelty in free selection of manual actions. Front Integr Neurosci 2013; 7:74. [PMID: 24204333 PMCID: PMC3817628 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2013.00074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2013] [Accepted: 10/10/2013] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Making optimal choices in changing environments implies the ability to balance routine, exploitative patterns of behavior with novel, exploratory ones. We investigated whether galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) interferes with the balance between exploratory and exploitative behaviors in a free action selection task. Brief right-anodal and left-cathodal GVS or left-anodal and right-cathodal GVS were delivered at random to activate sensorimotor circuits in the left and right hemisphere, respectively. A sham stimulation condition was included. Participants endogenously generated sequences of possible actions, by freely choosing successive movements of the index or middle finger of the left or right hand. Left-anodal and right-cathodal GVS, which preferentially activates the vestibular projections in the right cerebral hemisphere, increased the novelty in action sequences, as measured by the number of runs in the sequences. In contrast, right-anodal and left-cathodal GVS decreased the number of runs. There was no evidence of GVS-induced spatial bias in action choices. Our results confirm previous reports showing a polarity-dependent effect of GVS on the balance between novel and routine responses, and thus between exploratory and exploitative behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa R Ferrè
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London London, UK
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64
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Ferrè ER, Longo MR, Fiori F, Haggard P. Vestibular modulation of spatial perception. Front Hum Neurosci 2013; 7:660. [PMID: 24133440 PMCID: PMC3794195 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2013.00660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2013] [Accepted: 09/23/2013] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Vestibular inputs make a key contribution to the sense of one’s own spatial location. While the effects of vestibular stimulation on visuo-spatial processing in neurological patients have been extensively described, the normal contribution of vestibular inputs to spatial perception remains unclear. To address this issue, we used a line bisection task to investigate the effects of galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) on spatial perception, and on the transition between near and far space. Brief left-anodal and right-cathodal GVS or right-anodal and left-cathodal GVS were delivered. A sham stimulation condition was also included. Participants bisected lines of different lengths at six distances from the body using a laser pointer. Consistent with previous results, our data showed an overall shift in the bisection bias from left to right as viewing distance increased. This pattern suggests leftward bias in near space, and rightward bias in far space. GVS induced strong polarity dependent effects in spatial perception, broadly consistent with those previously reported in patients: left-anodal and right-cathodal GVS induced a leftward bisection bias, while right-anodal and left-cathodal GVS reversed this effect, and produced bisection bias toward the right side of the space. Interestingly, the effects of GVS were comparable in near and far space. We speculate that vestibular-induced biases in space perception may optimize gathering of information from different parts of the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa R Ferrè
- 1Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London London, UK
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65
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Caloric vestibular stimulation modulates affective control and mood. Brain Stimul 2013; 7:133-40. [PMID: 24139868 DOI: 10.1016/j.brs.2013.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2013] [Revised: 09/05/2013] [Accepted: 09/16/2013] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Clinical evidence suggests a link between vestibular dysfunctions and mood disorders. No study has yet investigated mood and affective control during vestibular stimulation in healthy participants. OBJECTIVE We predicted a modulating effect of caloric vestibular stimulation (CVS) on affective control measured in an affective Go/NoGo task (AGN). METHODS Thirty-two participants performed an AGN task while they were exposed to cold left or right ear CVS (20 °C) and sham stimulation (37 °C). In each block, either positive or negative pictures (taken from the International Affective Picture System) were defined as targets. Participants had to respond to targets (Go), and withhold responses to distractors (NoGo). RESULTS The sensitivity index d' (hits - false alarms) was used to measure affective control. Affective control improved during right ear CVS when viewing positive stimuli (P = .005), but decreased during left ear CVS when compared to sham stimulation (P = .009). CVS had a similar effect on positive mood ratings (Positive and Negative Affect Schedule). Positive mood ratings decreased during left ear CVS when compared to sham stimulation, but there was no effect after right ear CVS. DISCUSSION The results suggest that CVS, depending on side of stimulation, has a modulating effect on mood and affective control. The results complement previous findings in manic patients and provide new evidence for the clinical potential of CVS.
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66
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Susceptibility to the rubber hand illusion does not tell the whole body-awareness story. COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2013; 14:297-306. [DOI: 10.3758/s13415-013-0190-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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67
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Ferrè ER, Vagnoni E, Haggard P. Vestibular contributions to bodily awareness. Neuropsychologia 2013; 51:1445-52. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2013.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2012] [Revised: 04/15/2013] [Accepted: 04/16/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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68
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Ferrè ER, Day BL, Bottini G, Haggard P. How the vestibular system interacts with somatosensory perception: a sham-controlled study with galvanic vestibular stimulation. Neurosci Lett 2013; 550:35-40. [PMID: 23827220 PMCID: PMC3988931 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2013.06.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2013] [Revised: 05/31/2013] [Accepted: 06/20/2013] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Left anodal galvanic vestibular stimulation increased tactile sensitivity. No effects induced by sham stimulation or right anodal galvanic vestibular stimulation. Even brief (100 ms) pulses of vestibular stimulation enhanced somatosensory detection. Vestibular projections in the right hemisphere modulates somatosensory processing.
The vestibular system has widespread interactions with other sensory modalities. Here we investigate whether vestibular stimulation modulates somatosensory function, by assessing the ability to detect faint tactile stimuli to the fingertips of the left and right hand with or without galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS). We found that left anodal and right cathodal GVS, significantly enhanced sensitivity to mild shocks on either hand, without affecting response bias. There was no such effect with either right anodal and left cathodal GVS or sham stimulation. Further, the enhancement of somatosensory sensitivity following GVS does not strongly depend on the duration of GVS, or the interval between GVS and tactile stimulation. Vestibular inputs reach the somatosensory cortex, increasing the sensitivity of perceptual circuitry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa R Ferrè
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK.
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69
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Pfeiffer C, Lopez C, Schmutz V, Duenas JA, Martuzzi R, Blanke O. Multisensory origin of the subjective first-person perspective: visual, tactile, and vestibular mechanisms. PLoS One 2013; 8:e61751. [PMID: 23630611 PMCID: PMC3632612 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0061751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2012] [Accepted: 03/13/2013] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
In three experiments we investigated the effects of visuo-tactile and visuo-vestibular conflict about the direction of gravity on three aspects of bodily self-consciousness: self-identification, self-location, and the experienced direction of the first-person perspective. Robotic visuo-tactile stimulation was administered to 78 participants in three experiments. Additionally, we presented participants with a virtual body as seen from an elevated and downward-directed perspective while they were lying supine and were therefore receiving vestibular and postural cues about an upward-directed perspective. Under these conditions, we studied the effects of different degrees of visuo-vestibular conflict, repeated measurements during illusion induction, and the relationship to a classical measure of visuo-vestibular integration. Extending earlier findings on experimentally induced changes in bodily self-consciousness, we show that self-identification does not depend on the experienced direction of the first-person perspective, whereas self-location does. Changes in bodily self-consciousness depend on visual gravitational signals. Individual differences in the experienced direction of first-person perspective correlated with individual differences in visuo-vestibular integration. Our data reveal important contributions of visuo-vestibular gravitational cues to bodily self-consciousness. In particular we show that the experienced direction of the first-person perspective depends on the integration of visual, vestibular, and tactile signals, as well as on individual differences in idiosyncratic visuo-vestibular strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Pfeiffer
- Center for Neuroprosthetics, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Christophe Lopez
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences Intégratives et Adaptatives, UMR 7260, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France
| | - Valentin Schmutz
- Center for Neuroprosthetics, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Julio Angel Duenas
- Rehabilitation Engineering Lab, Institute for Robotics and Intelligent Systems, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Roberto Martuzzi
- Center for Neuroprosthetics, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Olaf Blanke
- Center for Neuroprosthetics, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- * E-mail:
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70
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The effect of limb crossing and limb congruency on multisensory integration in peripersonal space for the upper and lower extremities. Conscious Cogn 2013; 22:545-55. [PMID: 23579198 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2013.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2012] [Revised: 02/16/2013] [Accepted: 02/18/2013] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The present study investigated how multisensory integration in peripersonal space is modulated by limb posture (i.e. whether the limbs are crossed or uncrossed) and limb congruency (i.e. whether the observed body part matches the actual position of one's limb). This was done separately for the upper limbs (Experiment 1) and the lower limbs (Experiment 2). The crossmodal congruency task was used to measure peripersonal space integration for the hands and the feet. It was found that the peripersonal space representation for the hands but not for the feet is dynamically updated based on both limb posture and limb congruency. Together these findings show how dynamic cues from vision, proprioception, and touch are integrated in peripersonal limb space and highlight fundamental differences in the way in which peripersonal space is represented for the upper and lower extremity.
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71
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Distinct illusory own-body perceptions caused by damage to posterior insula and extrastriate cortex. Brain 2013; 136:790-803. [DOI: 10.1093/brain/aws364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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72
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van Elk M, Blanke O. Imagined own-body transformations during passive self-motion. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2013; 78:18-27. [DOI: 10.1007/s00426-013-0486-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2012] [Accepted: 02/01/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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73
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Lenggenhager B, Pazzaglia M, Scivoletto G, Molinari M, Aglioti SM. The sense of the body in individuals with spinal cord injury. PLoS One 2012; 7:e50757. [PMID: 23209824 PMCID: PMC3510173 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0050757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2012] [Accepted: 10/25/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Increasing evidence suggests that the basic foundations of the self lie in the brain systems that represent the body. Specific sensorimotor stimulation has been shown to alter the bodily self. However, little is known about how disconnection of the brain from the body affects the phenomenological sense of the body and the self. Spinal cord injury (SCI) patients who exhibit massively reduced somatomotor processes below the lesion in the absence of brain damage are suitable for testing the influence of body signals on two important components of the self–the sense of disembodiment and body ownership. We recruited 30 SCI patients and 16 healthy participants, and evaluated the following parameters: (i) depersonalization symptoms, using the Cambridge Depersonalization Scale (CDS), and (ii) measures of body ownership, as quantified by the rubber hand illusion (RHI) paradigm. We found higher CDS scores in SCI patients, which show increased detachment from their body and internal bodily sensations and decreasing global body ownership with higher lesion level. The RHI paradigm reveals no alterations in the illusory ownership of the hand between SCI patients and controls. Yet, there was no typical proprioceptive drift in SCI patients with intact tactile sensation on the hand, which might be related to cortical reorganization in these patients. These results suggest that disconnection of somatomotor inputs to the brain due to spinal cord lesions resulted in a disturbed sense of an embodied self. Furthermore, plasticity-related cortical changes might influence the dynamics of the bodily self.
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74
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Ferrè ER, Vagnoni E, Haggard P. Galvanic vestibular stimulation influences randomness of number generation. Exp Brain Res 2012; 224:233-41. [DOI: 10.1007/s00221-012-3302-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2012] [Accepted: 10/05/2012] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
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75
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Anatomically plausible illusory posture affects mental rotation of body parts. COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2012; 13:197-209. [DOI: 10.3758/s13415-012-0120-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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76
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van Elk M, Blanke O. Balancing bistable perception during self-motion. Exp Brain Res 2012; 222:219-28. [DOI: 10.1007/s00221-012-3209-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2012] [Accepted: 07/24/2012] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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77
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Lopez C, Schreyer HM, Preuss N, Mast FW. Vestibular stimulation modifies the body schema. Neuropsychologia 2012; 50:1830-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2012.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2011] [Revised: 03/21/2012] [Accepted: 04/10/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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78
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Olivé I, Berthoz A. Combined Induction of Rubber-Hand Illusion and Out-of-Body Experiences. Front Psychol 2012; 3:128. [PMID: 22675312 PMCID: PMC3364512 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2011] [Accepted: 03/01/2012] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
The emergence of self-consciousness depends on several processes: those of body ownership, attributing self-identity to the body, and those of self-location, localizing our sense of self. Studies of phenomena like the rubber-hand illusion (RHi) and out-of-body experience (OBE) investigate these processes, respectively for representations of a body-part and the full-body. It is supposed that RHi only target processes related to body-part representations, while OBE only relates to full-body representations. The fundamental question whether the body-part and the full-body illusions relate to each other is nevertheless insufficiently investigated. In search for a link between body-part and full-body illusions in the brain we developed a behavioral task combining adapted versions of the RHi and OBE. Furthermore, for the investigation of this putative link we investigated the role of sensory and motor cues. We established a spatial dissociation between visual and proprioceptive feedback of a hand perceived through virtual reality in rest or action. Two experimental measures were introduced: one for the body-part illusion, the proprioceptive drift of the perceived localization of the hand, and one for the full-body illusion, the shift in subjective-straight-ahead (SSA). In the rest and action conditions it was observed that the proprioceptive drift of the left hand and the shift in SSA toward the manipulation side are equivalent. The combined effect was dependent on the manipulation of the visual representation of body parts, rejecting any main or even modulatory role for relevant motor programs. Our study demonstrates for the first time that there is a systematic relationship between the body-part illusion and the full-body illusion, as shown by our measures. This suggests a link between the representations in the brain of a body-part and the full-body, and consequently a common mechanism underpinning both forms of ownership and self-location.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isadora Olivé
- Laboratoire de Physiologie de la Perception et de l'Action, UMR 7152, College de France CNRS, Paris, France
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79
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Bekrater-Bodmann R, Foell J, Diers M, Flor H. The perceptual and neuronal stability of the rubber hand illusion across contexts and over time. Brain Res 2012; 1452:130-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2012.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2011] [Revised: 02/27/2012] [Accepted: 03/01/2012] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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80
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Experimental changes in bodily self-consciousness are tuned to the frequency sensitivity of proprioceptive fibres. Neuroreport 2012; 23:354-9. [DOI: 10.1097/wnr.0b013e328351db14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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81
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Lopez C, Bieri CP, Preuss N, Mast FW. Tactile and vestibular mechanisms underlying ownership for body parts: A non-visual variant of the rubber hand illusion. Neurosci Lett 2012; 511:120-4. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2012.01.055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2011] [Revised: 01/09/2012] [Accepted: 01/24/2012] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
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82
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Utz KS, Korluss K, Schmidt L, Rosenthal A, Oppenländer K, Keller I, Kerkhoff G. Minor adverse effects of galvanic vestibular stimulation in persons with stroke and healthy individuals. Brain Inj 2011; 25:1058-69. [DOI: 10.3109/02699052.2011.607789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
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83
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Rohde M, Di Luca M, Ernst MO. The Rubber Hand Illusion: feeling of ownership and proprioceptive drift do not go hand in hand. PLoS One 2011; 6:e21659. [PMID: 21738756 PMCID: PMC3125296 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0021659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 325] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2011] [Accepted: 06/05/2011] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
In the Rubber Hand Illusion, the feeling of ownership of a rubber hand displaced from a participant's real occluded hand is evoked by synchronously stroking both hands with paintbrushes. A change of perceived finger location towards the rubber hand (proprioceptive drift) has been reported to correlate with this illusion. To measure the time course of proprioceptive drift during the Rubber Hand Illusion, we regularly interrupted stroking (performed by robot arms) to measure perceived finger location. Measurements were made by projecting a probe dot into the field of view (using a semi-transparent mirror) and asking participants if the dot is to the left or to the right of their invisible hand (Experiment 1) or to adjust the position of the dot to that of their invisible hand (Experiment 2). We varied both the measurement frequency (every 10 s, 40 s, 120 s) and the mode of stroking (synchronous, asynchronous, just vision). Surprisingly, with frequent measurements, proprioceptive drift occurs not only in the synchronous stroking condition but also in the two control conditions (asynchronous stroking, just vision). Proprioceptive drift in the synchronous stroking condition is never higher than in the just vision condition. Only continuous exposure to asynchronous stroking prevents proprioceptive drift and thus replicates the differences in drift reported in the literature. By contrast, complementary subjective ratings (questionnaire) show that the feeling of ownership requires synchronous stroking and is not present in the asynchronous stroking condition. Thus, subjective ratings and drift are dissociated. We conclude that different mechanisms of multisensory integration are responsible for proprioceptive drift and the feeling of ownership. Proprioceptive drift relies on visuoproprioceptive integration alone, a process that is inhibited by asynchronous stroking, the most common control condition in Rubber Hand Illusion experiments. This dissociation implies that conclusions about feelings of ownership cannot be drawn from measuring proprioceptive drift alone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marieke Rohde
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany.
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84
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Palluel E, Aspell JE, Blanke O. Leg muscle vibration modulates bodily self-consciousness: integration of proprioceptive, visual, and tactile signals. J Neurophysiol 2011; 105:2239-47. [DOI: 10.1152/jn.00744.2010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Behavioral studies have used visuo-tactile conflicts between a participant's body and a visually presented fake or virtual body to investigate the importance of bodily perception for self-consciousness (bodily self-consciousness). Illusory self-identification with a fake body and changes in tactile processing—modulation of visuo-tactile cross-modal congruency effects (CCEs)—were reported in previous findings. Although proprioceptive signals are deemed important for bodily self-consciousness, their contribution to the representation of the full body has not been studied. Here we investigated whether and how self-identification and tactile processing (CCE magnitude) could be modified by altering proprioceptive signals with 80-Hz vibrations at the legs. Participants made elevation judgments of tactile cues (while ignoring nearby lights) during synchronous and asynchronous stroking of a seen fake body. We found that proprioceptive signals during vibrations altered the magnitude of self-identification and mislocalization of touch (CCE) in a synchrony-dependent fashion: we observed an increase of self-identification and CCE magnitude during asynchronous stroking. In a second control experiment we studied whether proprioceptive signals per se, or those from the lower limbs in particular, were essential for these changes. We applied vibrations at the upper limbs (which provide no information about the position of the participant's body in space) and in this case observed no modulation of bodily self-consciousness or tactile perception. These data link proprioceptive signals from the legs that are conveyed through the dorsal column-medial lemniscal pathway to bodily self-consciousness. We discuss their integration with bodily signals from vision and touch for full-body representations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Estelle Palluel
- Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland; and
| | - Jane Elizabeth Aspell
- Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland; and
| | - Olaf Blanke
- Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland; and
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland
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85
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Bekrater-Bodmann R, Foell J, Flor H. Relationship between bodily illusions and pain syndromes. Pain Manag 2011; 1:217-28. [DOI: 10.2217/pmt.11.20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
SUMMARY Apart from their contribution to the overall knowledge of perception and related processes, sensory illusions have been used in recent years to treat and better understand pain disorders such as phantom limb pain or complex regional pain syndrome. With the help of modern imaging techniques, we can examine connections between basic processes of integrative perception and the occurrence of chronic pain. This article gives an overview of recent developments in the area of body illusions and pain, and provides suggestions on how they might lead to novel and effective treatments for chronic pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin Bekrater-Bodmann
- Department of Cognitive & Clinical Neuroscience, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Jens Foell
- Department of Cognitive & Clinical Neuroscience, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
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86
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Lopez C, Blanke O. The thalamocortical vestibular system in animals and humans. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2011; 67:119-46. [PMID: 21223979 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresrev.2010.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 371] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2010] [Revised: 12/27/2010] [Accepted: 12/30/2010] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The vestibular system provides the brain with sensory signals about three-dimensional head rotations and translations. These signals are important for postural and oculomotor control, as well as for spatial and bodily perception and cognition, and they are subtended by pathways running from the vestibular nuclei to the thalamus, cerebellum and the "vestibular cortex." The present review summarizes current knowledge on the anatomy of the thalamocortical vestibular system and discusses data from electrophysiology and neuroanatomy in animals by comparing them with data from neuroimagery and neurology in humans. Multiple thalamic nuclei are involved in vestibular processing, including the ventroposterior complex, the ventroanterior-ventrolateral complex, the intralaminar nuclei and the posterior nuclear group (medial and lateral geniculate nuclei, pulvinar). These nuclei contain multisensory neurons that process and relay vestibular, proprioceptive and visual signals to the vestibular cortex. In non-human primates, the parieto-insular vestibular cortex (PIVC) has been proposed as the core vestibular region. Yet, vestibular responses have also been recorded in the somatosensory cortex (area 2v, 3av), intraparietal sulcus, posterior parietal cortex (area 7), area MST, frontal cortex, cingulum and hippocampus. We analyze the location of the corresponding regions in humans, and especially the human PIVC, by reviewing neuroimaging and clinical work. The widespread vestibular projections to the multimodal human PIVC, somatosensory cortex, area MST, intraparietal sulcus and hippocampus explain the large influence of vestibular signals on self-motion perception, spatial navigation, internal models of gravity, one's body perception and bodily self-consciousness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christophe Lopez
- Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Brain-Mind Institute, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, Switzerland.
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87
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Lopez C, Blanke O. How body position influences the perception and conscious experience of corporeal and extrapersonal space. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010. [DOI: 10.3917/rne.023.0195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
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