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Martini E, Cesini I, D'Abbraccio J, Arnetoli G, Doronzio S, Giffone A, Meoni B, Oddo CM, Vitiello N, Crea S. Increased Symmetry of Lower-Limb Amputees Walking With Concurrent Bilateral Vibrotactile Feedback. IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng 2020; 29:74-84. [PMID: 33125331 DOI: 10.1109/tnsre.2020.3034521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Gait asymmetry in lower-limb amputees can lead to several secondary conditions that can decrease general health and quality of life. Including augmented sensory feedback in rehabilitation programs can effectively mitigate spatiotemporal gait irregularities. Such benefits can be obtained with non-invasive haptic systems representing an advantageous choice for usability in overground training and every-day life. In this study, we tested a wearable tactile feedback device delivering short-lasting (100ms) vibrations around the waist syncronized to gait events, to improve the temporal gait symmetry of lower-limb amputees. Three above-knee amputees participated in the study. The device provided bilateral stimulations during a training program that involved ground-level gait training. After three training sessions, participants showed higher temporal symmetry when walking with the haptic feedback in comparison to their natural walking (resulting symmetry index increases of +2.8% for Subject IDA, +12.7% for Subject IDB and +2.9% for Subject IDC). One subject retained improved symmetry (Subject IDB,+14.9%) even when walking without the device. Gait analyses revealed that higher temporal symmetry may lead to concurrent compensation strategies in the trunk and pelvis. Overall, the results of this pilot study confirm the potential utility of sensory feedback devices to positively influence gait parameters when used in supervised settings. Future studies shall clarify more precisely the training modalities and the targets of rehabilitation programs with such devices.
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2
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Tagini S, Scarpina F, Scacchi M, Mauro A, Zampini M. Reduced Temporal Sensitivity in Obesity: Evidence From a Simultaneity Judgement Task. Multisens Res 2020; 33:777-791. [PMID: 31978872 DOI: 10.1163/22134808-20201501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2019] [Accepted: 12/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Preliminary evidence showed a reduced temporal sensitivity (i.e., larger temporal binding window) to audiovisual asynchrony in obesity. Our aim was to extend this investigation to visuotactile stimuli, comparing individuals of healthy weight and with obesity in a simultaneity judgment task. We verified that individuals with obesity had a larger temporal binding window than healthy-weight individuals, meaning that they tend to integrate visuotactile stimuli over an extended range of stimulus onset asynchronies. We point out that our finding gives evidence in support of a more pervasive impairment of the temporal discrimination of co-occurrent stimuli, which might affect multisensory integration in obesity. We discuss our results referring to the possible role of atypical oscillatory neural activity and structural anomalies in affecting the perception of simultaneity between multisensory stimuli in obesity. Finally, we highlight the urgency of a deeper understanding of multisensory integration in obesity at least for two reasons. First, multisensory bodily illusions might be used to manipulate body dissatisfaction in obesity. Second, multisensory integration anomalies in obesity might lead to a dissimilar perception of food, encouraging overeating behaviours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Tagini
- 1Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, CIMeC, University of Trento, Rovereto (TN), Italy
| | - Federica Scarpina
- 2Istituto Auxologico Italiano, IRCCS, Ospedale S. Giuseppe, Piancavallo (VCO), Italy.,3'Rita Levi Montalcini' Department of Neuroscience, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Massimo Scacchi
- 2Istituto Auxologico Italiano, IRCCS, Ospedale S. Giuseppe, Piancavallo (VCO), Italy.,4Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Alessandro Mauro
- 2Istituto Auxologico Italiano, IRCCS, Ospedale S. Giuseppe, Piancavallo (VCO), Italy.,3'Rita Levi Montalcini' Department of Neuroscience, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Massimiliano Zampini
- 1Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, CIMeC, University of Trento, Rovereto (TN), Italy.,5Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Rovereto (TN), Italy
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3
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Tagini S, Scarpina F, Bruni F, Scacchi M, Mauro A, Zampini M. The Virtual Hand Illusion in Obesity: Dissociation Between Multisensory Interactions Supporting Illusory Experience and Self-Location Recalibration. Multisens Res 2020; 33:337-361. [PMID: 31722290 DOI: 10.1163/22134808-20191425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2019] [Accepted: 10/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The Rubber Hand Illusion (RHI) is used widely to investigate the multisensory integration mechanisms that support bodily self-consciousness and, more specifically, body ownership and self-location. It has been reported that individuals affected by obesity show anomalous multisensory integration processes. We propose that these obesity-induced changes could lead to an unusual susceptibility to the RHI and anomalous bodily self-experience. To test this hypothesis, we administered a modified version of the RHI (using a picture of the participant's hand) to individuals affected by obesity and participants with a healthy weight. During synchronous and asynchronous stimulation, we compared the subjective experience of the illusion (using a questionnaire) and the effect of the illusion on self-location (i.e., proprioceptive drift). In accordance with the illusion phenomenology, both groups had a comparable subjective illusory experience after the synchronous stimulation. Nevertheless, individuals affected by obesity showed less recalibration of self-location than healthy weight participants. In light of a recent interpretation of the multisensory integration mechanisms that underpin the RHI, our findings suggest that in obesity visuo-tactile integration supporting the subjective experience of the illusion is preserved, whereas visuo-proprioceptive integration for self-location is reduced.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Tagini
- 1Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, CIMeC, University of Trento, Rovereto,Italy
| | - Federica Scarpina
- 2Istituto Auxologico Italiano, IRCCS, Ospedale S. Giuseppe, Piancavallo,Italy
| | - Francesca Bruni
- 2Istituto Auxologico Italiano, IRCCS, Ospedale S. Giuseppe, Piancavallo,Italy
| | - Massimo Scacchi
- 2Istituto Auxologico Italiano, IRCCS, Ospedale S. Giuseppe, Piancavallo,Italy.,3Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Alessandro Mauro
- 2Istituto Auxologico Italiano, IRCCS, Ospedale S. Giuseppe, Piancavallo,Italy.,4Rita Levi Montalcini Department of Neuroscience, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Massimiliano Zampini
- 1Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, CIMeC, University of Trento, Rovereto,Italy.,5Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Rovereto,Italy
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Altered temporal sensitivity in obesity is linked to pro-inflammatory state. Sci Rep 2019; 9:15508. [PMID: 31664059 PMCID: PMC6820747 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-51660-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2019] [Accepted: 08/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Temporal sensitivity to multisensory stimuli has been shown to be reduced in obesity. We sought to investigate the possible role of the pro-inflammatory state on such alteration, considering the effect of the expression of markers, such as leptin and IL6, which are notably high in obesity. The performance of 15 male individuals affected by obesity and 15 normal-weight males was compared using two audiovisual temporal tasks, namely simultaneity judgment and temporal order judgment. Analyses of serum levels of inflammatory markers of leptin and IL6, and of neurotrophic factors of BDNF and S100SB were quantified. At the behavioral level we confirmed previous evidence showing poorer temporal sensitivity in obesity compared to normal-weight participants. Furthermore, leptin, that is a cytokine overexpressed in obesity, represented the best predictor of behavioral differences between groups in both tasks. The hypothesis we put forward is that the immune system, rather than overall cerebral dysfunction, might contribute to explain the altered temporal sensitivity in obesity. The present finding is discussed within the context of the role of cytokines on the brain mechanisms supporting temporal sensitivity.
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The Effect of a Virtual-Reality Full-Body Illusion on Body Representation in Obesity. J Clin Med 2019; 8:jcm8091330. [PMID: 31466376 PMCID: PMC6780081 DOI: 10.3390/jcm8091330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2019] [Revised: 08/21/2019] [Accepted: 08/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Background. The effective illusory ownership over an artificial body in modulating body representations in healthy and eating disorders population has been repeatedly reported in recent literature. In this study, we extended this research in the field of obesity: specifically, we investigated whether ownership over a virtual body with a skinny abdomen might be successfully experienced by participants affected by obesity. Methods. Fifteen participants with obesity and fifteen healthy-weight participants took part at this study in which the VR-Full-Body Illusion was adopted. The strength of illusion was investigated through the traditional Embodiment Questionnaire, while changes in bodily experience were measured through a body size estimation task. Results. Participants with obesity as well as healthy-weight participants reported to experience the illusion. About the body size estimation task, both groups reported changes only in the estimation of the abdomen’s circumference after the experimental condition, in absence of any another difference. Discussion. Participants with obesity reported to experience the illusion over a skinny avatar, but the modulation of the bodily experience seems controversial. Future lines of research exploiting this technique for modulating body representations in obesity, specifically in terms of potential therapeutic use, were discussed.
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Gaul D, Fernandez L, Issartel J. "It ain't what you do, it's the way that you do it": does obesity affect perceptual motor control ability of adults on the speed and accuracy of a discrete aiming task? Exp Brain Res 2018; 236:2703-2711. [PMID: 29995200 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-018-5330-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2017] [Accepted: 07/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The ability to control speed and accuracy of goal directed aiming tasks underpins many activities of daily living. Recent evidence has begun to suggest that obesity can affect the control of movement. This study evaluated perceptual motor control of 183 normal weight, overweight, and obese participants using a discrete Fitts' task on a digital tablet. In addition, we manipulated tablet orientation to determine whether tablet orientation influences task difficulty with the view to increase the task's constraints. Our study found that the traditional relationship between target distance and target width hold true for each of the three weight groups in both tablet orientations. Interestingly, no significant differences were found for movement time between the groups, while movement kinematics differed between weight groups. Obese participants demonstrated significantly higher peak acceleration values in the horizontal tablet orientation when compared to their normal weight and overweight counterparts. Further to this, obese participants made significantly more errors than normal weight and overweight groups. These findings suggest that obese individuals have altered control strategies compared to their normal weight peers.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Gaul
- School of Business, Institute of Technology Blanchardstown, Dublin 15, Ireland.
| | | | - Johann Issartel
- School of Health and Human Performance, Dublin City University, Dublin 9, Ireland
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Phamduy P, Rizzo JR, Hudson TE, Torre M, Levon K, Porfiri M. Communicating through Touch: Macro Fiber Composites for Tactile Stimulation on the Abdomen. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON HAPTICS 2018; 11:174-184. [PMID: 29927741 DOI: 10.1109/toh.2017.2781244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Research into sensory substitution systems has expanded, as alternative senses are utilized in real-time to afford object recognition or spatial understanding. Tactile stimulation has long shown promise as a communicatory strategy when applied unobtrusively to the redundant surface areas of the skin. Here, a novel belt, integrating a matrix of macro fiber composites, is purposed to deliver tactile stimuli to the abdomen. The design and development of the belt is presented and a systematic experimental study is conducted to analyze the impact of frequency and duty cycle. The belt is a beta precursor to a soft haptic feedback device that will enable situational awareness and obstacle avoidance through the localization of tactile stimulation relative to a body-centric frame of reference in a local environment.
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Scarpina F, Cau N, Cimolin V, Galli M, Castelnuovo G, Priano L, Pianta L, Corti S, Mauro A, Capodaglio P. Body-scaled action in obesity during locomotion: Insights on the nature and extent of body representation disturbances. J Psychosom Res 2017; 102:34-40. [PMID: 28992895 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2017.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2017] [Revised: 08/23/2017] [Accepted: 09/01/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Conscious perception of our own body, also known as body image, can influence body-scaled actions. Certain conditions such as obesity are frequently accompanied by a negative body image, leaving open the question if body-scaled actions are distorted in these individuals. METHODS To shed light on this issue, we asked individuals affected by obesity to process dimensions of their own body in a real action: they walked in a straight-ahead direction, while avoiding collision with obstacles represented by door-like openings that varied in width. RESULTS Participants affected by obesity showed a body rotation behavior similar to that of the healthy weighted, but differences emerged in parameters such as step length and velocity. CONCLUSION When participants with obesity walk through door-like openings, their body parts rotation is scaled according to their physical body dimensions; however, they might try to minimize risk of collision. Our study is in line with the hypothesis that unconscious body-scaled actions are related to emotional, cognitive and perceptual components of a negative body image.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Scarpina
- "Rita Levi Montalcini" Department of Neuroscience, University of Turin, Turin, Italy; Psychology Research Laboratory, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Ospedale San Giuseppe, Piancavallo (VCO), Italy.
| | - Nicola Cau
- Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Veronica Cimolin
- Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Manuela Galli
- Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy; IRCCS "San Raffaele Pisana", Tosinvest Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Gianluca Castelnuovo
- Psychology Research Laboratory, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Ospedale San Giuseppe, Piancavallo (VCO), Italy; Department of Psychology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Priano
- "Rita Levi Montalcini" Department of Neuroscience, University of Turin, Turin, Italy; Division of Neurology and Neuro-Rehabilitation, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Ospedale San Giuseppe, Piancavallo (VCO), Italy
| | - Lucia Pianta
- Division of Neurology and Neuro-Rehabilitation, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Ospedale San Giuseppe, Piancavallo (VCO), Italy; Research Laboratory in Biomechanics and Rehabilitation, Orthopedic Rehabilitation Unit, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Ospedale San Giuseppe, Piancavallo (VCO), Italy
| | - Stefania Corti
- Psychology Research Laboratory, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Ospedale San Giuseppe, Piancavallo (VCO), Italy
| | - Alessandro Mauro
- "Rita Levi Montalcini" Department of Neuroscience, University of Turin, Turin, Italy; Division of Neurology and Neuro-Rehabilitation, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Ospedale San Giuseppe, Piancavallo (VCO), Italy
| | - Paolo Capodaglio
- Research Laboratory in Biomechanics and Rehabilitation, Orthopedic Rehabilitation Unit, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Ospedale San Giuseppe, Piancavallo (VCO), Italy
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Scarpina F, Migliorati D, Marzullo P, Mauro A, Scacchi M, Costantini M. Altered multisensory temporal integration in obesity. Sci Rep 2016; 6:28382. [PMID: 27324727 PMCID: PMC4914987 DOI: 10.1038/srep28382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2016] [Accepted: 06/03/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Eating is a multisensory behavior. The act of placing food in the mouth provides us with a variety of sensory information, including gustatory, olfactory, somatosensory, visual, and auditory. Evidence suggests altered eating behavior in obesity. Nonetheless, multisensory integration in obesity has been scantily investigated so far. Starting from this gap in the literature, we seek to provide the first comprehensive investigation of multisensory integration in obesity. Twenty male obese participants and twenty male healthy-weight participants took part in the study aimed at describing the multisensory temporal binding window (TBW). The TBW is defined as the range of stimulus onset asynchrony in which multiple sensory inputs have a high probability of being integrated. To investigate possible multisensory temporal processing deficits in obesity, we investigated performance in two multisensory audiovisual temporal tasks, namely simultaneity judgment and temporal order judgment. Results showed a wider TBW in obese participants as compared to healthy-weight controls. This holds true for both the simultaneity judgment and the temporal order judgment tasks. An explanatory hypothesis would regard the effect of metabolic alterations and low-grade inflammatory state, clinically observed in obesity, on the temporal organization of brain ongoing activity, which one of the neural mechanisms enabling multisensory integration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Scarpina
- "Rita Levi Montalcini" Department of Neuroscience, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.,I.R.C.C.S. Istituto Auxologico Italiano Ospedale San Giuseppe, Piancavallo, Italy
| | - Daniele Migliorati
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Science, University G. d'Annunzio, Chieti, Italy
| | - Paolo Marzullo
- I.R.C.C.S. Istituto Auxologico Italiano Ospedale San Giuseppe, Piancavallo, Italy.,Department of Translational Medicine, Università del Piemonte Orientale 'A. Avogadro', Novara, Italy
| | - Alessandro Mauro
- "Rita Levi Montalcini" Department of Neuroscience, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.,I.R.C.C.S. Istituto Auxologico Italiano Ospedale San Giuseppe, Piancavallo, Italy
| | - Massimo Scacchi
- I.R.C.C.S. Istituto Auxologico Italiano Ospedale San Giuseppe, Piancavallo, Italy.,Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Marcello Costantini
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Science, University G. d'Annunzio, Chieti, Italy.,Centre for Brain Science, Department of Psychology, University of Essex, UK
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Van der Stoep N, Nijboer T, Van der Stigchel S, Spence C. Multisensory interactions in the depth plane in front and rear space: A review. Neuropsychologia 2015; 70:335-49. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2014.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2014] [Revised: 12/03/2014] [Accepted: 12/04/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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