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Rotach Z, Beazley C, Ionta S. Degraded Visibility Body-Specifically Affects Mental Rotation. Behav Sci (Basel) 2024; 14:784. [PMID: 39335999 PMCID: PMC11429075 DOI: 10.3390/bs14090784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2024] [Revised: 09/03/2024] [Accepted: 09/06/2024] [Indexed: 09/30/2024] Open
Abstract
The way we perceive our own body is shaped by our perception. Changes in sensory input, such as visual degradation, can lead to visual-to-motor shifts in the reference frame used to mentally represent the body. While this effect has been demonstrated in mental representation of hands, it is still unknown whether it also affects mental representation of other body parts. To fill this gap, we asked 35 neurotypical participants to perform mental rotation (laterality judgement) of hand, foot, and full-body images, while the images' visibility (figure/background contrast) was manipulated. Visibility deteriorations increased the steepness of the response time (RT) slopes for mental rotation of hand images shown from a less common view (palm) and of foot images from a more common view (dorsum), but not of full-body images from either the common or uncommon views. Suggesting that steeper and flatter RT slopes evoke the activation of a motor- or vision-based cognitive strategy for mental rotation, respectively, we propose that visual deterioration induces body-specific visual-to-motor shifts in mental processing. These findings show that the reliance on visual or motor aspects to mentally represent the body can be modulated by a reduction in sensory input, which changes the employed cognitive strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zoé Rotach
- Sensory-Motor Lab (SeMoLa), Department of Ophthalmology-University of Lausanne, Jules Gonin Eye Hospital-Fondation Asile des Aveugles, 1004 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Claude Beazley
- Sensory-Motor Lab (SeMoLa), Department of Ophthalmology-University of Lausanne, Jules Gonin Eye Hospital-Fondation Asile des Aveugles, 1004 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Silvio Ionta
- Sensory-Motor Lab (SeMoLa), Department of Ophthalmology-University of Lausanne, Jules Gonin Eye Hospital-Fondation Asile des Aveugles, 1004 Lausanne, Switzerland
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Mateo S, Guillot A, Henkous S, Gelis A, Daligault S, Rode G, Collet C, Di Rienzo F. Implicit and explicit motor imagery ability after SCI: Moving the elbow makes the difference. Brain Res 2024; 1836:148911. [PMID: 38604558 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2024.148911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2023] [Revised: 03/23/2024] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024]
Abstract
Cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) causes dramatic sensorimotor deficits that restrict both activity and participation. Restoring activity and participation requires extensive upper limb rehabilitation focusing elbow and wrist movements, which can include motor imagery. Yet, it remains unclear whether MI ability is impaired or spared after SCI. We investigated implicit and explicit MI ability in individuals with C6 or C7 SCI (SCIC6 and SCIC7 groups), as well as in age- and gender-matched controls without SCI. Inspired by previous studies, implicit MI evaluations involved hand laterality judgments, hand orientation judgments (HOJT) and hand-object interaction judgments. Explicit MI evaluations involved mental chronometry assessments of physically possible or impossible movements due to the paralysis of upper limb muscles in both groups of participants with SCI. HOJT was the paradigm in which implicit MI ability profiles differed the most between groups, particularly in the SCIC6 group who had impaired elbow movements in the horizontal plane. MI ability profiles were similar between groups for explicit MI evaluations, but reflected task familiarity with higher durations in the case of unfamiliar movements in controls or attempt to perform movements which were no longer possible in persons with SCI. Present results, obtained from a homogeneous population of individuals with SCI, suggest that people with long-term SCI rely on embodied cognitive motor strategies, similar to controls. Differences found in behavioral response pattern during implicit MI mirrored the actual motor deficit, particularly during tasks that involved internal representations of affected body parts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sébastien Mateo
- Universite Lyon, UCBL-Lyon 1, INSERM U1028, CNRS UMR5292, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, Trajectoires Team, Centre Hospitalier Le Vinatier, Bâtiment 452, 95 Boulevard Pinel, F-69675 Bron, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France; Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, Trajectoires Team, Centre Hospitalier Le Vinatier, Bâtiment 452, 95 Boulevard Pinel, F-69675 Bron, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France
| | - Aymeric Guillot
- Universite Lyon, UCBL-Lyon 1, Laboratoire Interuniversitaire de Biologie de la Motricité, UR 7424, 27-29 Boulevard du 11 Novembre 1918, F-69622 Villeurbanne, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France
| | - Sonia Henkous
- Hospices Civils de Lyon, Hôpital Henry Gabrielle, Plate-forme Mouvement et Handicap, 20 route de Vourles, F-69230, Saint Genis Laval, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France; Universite Lyon, UCBL-Lyon 1, Laboratoire Interuniversitaire de Biologie de la Motricité, UR 7424, 27-29 Boulevard du 11 Novembre 1918, F-69622 Villeurbanne, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France
| | - Anthony Gelis
- Centre Mutualiste Neurologique Propara, 263 rue du Caducée, F-34090, Montpellier, Occitanie, France
| | - Sébastien Daligault
- CERMEP, Imagerie du Vivant, 95 Boulevard Pinel, F-69677 Bron, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France
| | - Gilles Rode
- Universite Lyon, UCBL-Lyon 1, INSERM U1028, CNRS UMR5292, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, Trajectoires Team, Centre Hospitalier Le Vinatier, Bâtiment 452, 95 Boulevard Pinel, F-69675 Bron, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France; Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, Trajectoires Team, Centre Hospitalier Le Vinatier, Bâtiment 452, 95 Boulevard Pinel, F-69675 Bron, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France
| | - Christian Collet
- Universite Lyon, UCBL-Lyon 1, Laboratoire Interuniversitaire de Biologie de la Motricité, UR 7424, 27-29 Boulevard du 11 Novembre 1918, F-69622 Villeurbanne, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France
| | - Franck Di Rienzo
- Universite Lyon, UCBL-Lyon 1, Laboratoire Interuniversitaire de Biologie de la Motricité, UR 7424, 27-29 Boulevard du 11 Novembre 1918, F-69622 Villeurbanne, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France.
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Cirillo E, Zavattaro C, Gammeri R, Serra H, Ricci R, Berti A. Have I Been Touched? Subjective and Objective Aspects of Tactile Awareness. Brain Sci 2024; 14:653. [PMID: 39061394 PMCID: PMC11274638 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14070653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2024] [Revised: 06/19/2024] [Accepted: 06/26/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Somatosensory tactile experience is a key aspect of our interaction with the environment. It is involved in object manipulation, in the planning and control of actions and, in its affective components, in the relationships with other individuals. It is also a foundational component of body awareness. An intriguing aspect of sensory perception in general and tactile perception in particular is the way in which stimulation comes to consciousness. Indeed, although being aware of something seems a rather self-evident and monolithic aspect of our mental states, sensory awareness may be in fact modulated by many different processes that impact on the mere stimulation of the skin, including the way in which we perceive our bodies as belonging to us. In this review, we first took into consideration the pathological conditions of absence of phenomenal experience of touch, in the presence of implicit processing, as initial models for understanding the neural bases of conscious tactile experience. Subsequently, we discussed cases of tactile illusions both in normal subjects and in brain-damaged patients which help to understand which high-order processes impact tactile awareness. Finally, we discussed the observations reported in the review in light of some influential models of touch and body representation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Anna Berti
- Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Via Verdi 10, 10124 Turin, Italy; (E.C.); (C.Z.); (R.G.); (H.S.); (R.R.)
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Taxer B, de Castro-Carletti EM, von Piekartz H, Leis S, Christova M, Armijo-Olivo S. Facial recognition, laterality judgement, alexithymia and resulting central nervous system adaptations in chronic primary headache and facial pain-A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Oral Rehabil 2024. [PMID: 38803203 DOI: 10.1111/joor.13742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Revised: 05/01/2024] [Accepted: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Patients with chronic headaches and chronic oro-facial pain commonly present psychosocial issues that can affect social interactions. A possible reason could be that patients with these disorders might present impairments in facial recognition, laterality judgement and also alexithymia. However, a systematic review summarizing the effects of facial emotion recognition, laterality judgement and alexithymia in individuals with headaches and oro-facial pain is still not available. AIM The main objective of this systematic review (SR) and meta-analysis (MA) was to compile and synthesize the evidence on the occurrence of alexithymia, deficits in laterality or left-right (LR) recognition and/or facial emotion recognition (FER) in patients with chronic headache and facial pain. METHODS Electronic searches were conducted in five databases (up to September 2023) and a manual search to identify relevant studies. The outcomes of interest were alexithymia scores, speed and accuracy in LR and/or FER, or any other quantitative data assessing body image distortions. The screening process, data extraction, risk of bias and data analysis were performed by two independent assessors following standards for systematic reviews. RESULTS From 1395 manuscripts found, only 34 studies met the criteria. The overall quality/certainty of the evidence was very low. Although the results should be interpreted carefully, individuals with chronic headaches showed significantly higher levels of alexithymia when compared to healthy individuals. No conclusive results were found for the other variables of interest. CONCLUSION Although the overall evidence from this review is very low, people with chronic primary headaches and oro-facial pain could be regularly screened for alexithymia to guarantee appropriate management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernhard Taxer
- FH JOANNEUM University of Applied Sciences Graz, Graz, Austria
- Department of Neurology, Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | | | - Harry von Piekartz
- Faculty of Business and Social Sciences, University of Applied Sciences Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Stefan Leis
- Department of Neurology, Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Monica Christova
- FH JOANNEUM University of Applied Sciences Graz, Graz, Austria
- Department of Physiology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Susan Armijo-Olivo
- Faculty of Business and Social Sciences, University of Applied Sciences Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany
- Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, Department of Physical Therapy and Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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Brizzi G, Riva G, Romano D. The Body Image Virtual Reality Assessment (BIVRA): Measuring the body representation through virtual reality. J Neuropsychol 2024. [PMID: 38576316 DOI: 10.1111/jnp.12366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024]
Abstract
Our physical and psychological well-being is significantly influenced by how we perceive our body, in addition to our thoughts and emotions associated with it. Dysfunctional body perceptions and attitudes play a key role in the development and maintenance of severe conditions such as eating disorders in both males and females. Given its relevance, some attempts have been made to improve body image assessment methods in terms of perceptual accuracy and body satisfaction taking advantage of technological advances such as virtual reality. However, existing applications have mainly focused on women and clinical conditions. In this study, we presented the Body Image Virtual Reality Assessment (BIVRA), a virtual reality figure rating scale to assess body image in both male and female subjects. We tested BIVRA's ability to measure perceptual accuracy and compared its results with a standardized body satisfaction questionnaire. Additionally, we investigated gender differences. BIVRA was found to be effective in assessing body image. We observed that a perceptually based task successfully captured both low and high levels of body representations, shedding light on the significant gender differences. The association between BIVRA and the body satisfaction questionnaires was moderated by gender, with a stronger association for women. While further validation of BIVRA is needed to fully exploit its potential, our results suggest that the integration of virtual reality into the assessment of body image and related disorders may significantly enhance our understanding of individuals struggling with body image issues and has the potential to advance current methods and techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Brizzi
- Applied Technology for Neuro-Psychology Laboratory, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Riva
- Applied Technology for Neuro-Psychology Laboratory, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
- Humane Technology Laboratory, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Milan, Italy
| | - Daniele Romano
- Department of Psychology and MIBTEC: Mind and Behavior Technological Center, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
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Sandini G, Sciutti A, Morasso P. Artificial cognition vs. artificial intelligence for next-generation autonomous robotic agents. Front Comput Neurosci 2024; 18:1349408. [PMID: 38585280 PMCID: PMC10995397 DOI: 10.3389/fncom.2024.1349408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024] Open
Abstract
The trend in industrial/service robotics is to develop robots that can cooperate with people, interacting with them in an autonomous, safe and purposive way. These are the fundamental elements characterizing the fourth and the fifth industrial revolutions (4IR, 5IR): the crucial innovation is the adoption of intelligent technologies that can allow the development of cyber-physical systems, similar if not superior to humans. The common wisdom is that intelligence might be provided by AI (Artificial Intelligence), a claim that is supported more by media coverage and commercial interests than by solid scientific evidence. AI is currently conceived in a quite broad sense, encompassing LLMs and a lot of other things, without any unifying principle, but self-motivating for the success in various areas. The current view of AI robotics mostly follows a purely disembodied approach that is consistent with the old-fashioned, Cartesian mind-body dualism, reflected in the software-hardware distinction inherent to the von Neumann computing architecture. The working hypothesis of this position paper is that the road to the next generation of autonomous robotic agents with cognitive capabilities requires a fully brain-inspired, embodied cognitive approach that avoids the trap of mind-body dualism and aims at the full integration of Bodyware and Cogniware. We name this approach Artificial Cognition (ACo) and ground it in Cognitive Neuroscience. It is specifically focused on proactive knowledge acquisition based on bidirectional human-robot interaction: the practical advantage is to enhance generalization and explainability. Moreover, we believe that a brain-inspired network of interactions is necessary for allowing humans to cooperate with artificial cognitive agents, building a growing level of personal trust and reciprocal accountability: this is clearly missing, although actively sought, in current AI. The ACo approach is a work in progress that can take advantage of a number of research threads, some of them antecedent the early attempts to define AI concepts and methods. In the rest of the paper we will consider some of the building blocks that need to be re-visited in a unitary framework: the principles of developmental robotics, the methods of action representation with prospection capabilities, and the crucial role of social interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Pietro Morasso
- Italian Institute of Technology, Cognitive Architecture for Collaborative Technologies (CONTACT) and Robotics, Brain and Cognitive Sciences (RBCS) Research Units, Genoa, Italy
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Fetta A, Toni F, Pettenuzzo I, Ricci E, Rocca A, Gambi C, Soliani L, Di Pisa V, Martini S, Sperti G, Cagnazzo V, Accorsi P, Bartolini E, Battaglia D, Bernardo P, Canevini MP, Ferrari AR, Giordano L, Locatelli C, Mancardi M, Orsini A, Pippucci T, Pruna D, Rosati A, Suppiej A, Tagliani S, Vaisfeld A, Vignoli A, Izumi K, Krantz I, Cordelli DM. Structural brain abnormalities in Pallister-Killian syndrome: a neuroimaging study of 31 children. Orphanet J Rare Dis 2024; 19:107. [PMID: 38459574 PMCID: PMC10921669 DOI: 10.1186/s13023-024-03065-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 02/03/2024] [Indexed: 03/10/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pallister-Killian syndrome (PKS) is a rare genetic disorder caused by mosaic tetrasomy of 12p with wide neurological involvement. Intellectual disability, developmental delay, behavioral problems, epilepsy, sleep disturbances, and brain malformations have been described in most individuals, with a broad phenotypic spectrum. This observational study, conducted through brain MRI scan analysis on a cohort of patients with genetically confirmed PKS, aims to systematically investigate the neuroradiological features of this syndrome and identify the possible existence of a typical pattern. Moreover, a literature review differentiating the different types of neuroimaging data was conducted for comparison with our population. RESULTS Thirty-one individuals were enrolled (17 females/14 males; age range 0.1-17.5 years old at first MRI). An experienced pediatric neuroradiologist reviewed brain MRIs, blindly to clinical data. Brain abnormalities were observed in all but one individual (compared to the 34% frequency found in the literature review). Corpus callosum abnormalities were found in 20/30 (67%) patients: 6 had callosal hypoplasia; 8 had global hypoplasia with hypoplastic splenium; 4 had only hypoplastic splenium; and 2 had a thin corpus callosum. Cerebral hypoplasia/atrophy was found in 23/31 (74%) and ventriculomegaly in 20/31 (65%). Other frequent features were the enlargement of the cisterna magna in 15/30 (50%) and polymicrogyria in 14/29 (48%). Conversely, the frequency of the latter was found to be 4% from the literature review. Notably, in our population, polymicrogyria was in the perisylvian area in all 14 cases, and it was bilateral in 10/14. CONCLUSIONS Brain abnormalities are very common in PKS and occur much more frequently than previously reported. Bilateral perisylvian polymicrogyria was a main aspect of our population. Our findings provide an additional tool for early diagnosis.Further studies to investigate the possible correlations with both genotype and phenotype may help to define the etiopathogenesis of the neurologic phenotype of this syndrome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Fetta
- IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, UOC di Neuropsichiatria dell'Età Pediatrica, Bologna, Italy
- Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche e Chirurgiche (DIMEC), Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Francesco Toni
- IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Programma di Neuroradiologia con Tecniche ad elevata complessità- PNTEC, Bologna, Italy
| | - Ilaria Pettenuzzo
- IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, UOC di Neuropsichiatria dell'Età Pediatrica, Bologna, Italy
- Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche e Chirurgiche (DIMEC), Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Emilia Ricci
- Epilepsy Center, Childhood and Adolescence Neuropsychiatry Unit, ASST Santi Paolo e Carlo, San Paolo Hospital, 20142, Milan, Italy.
| | - Alessandro Rocca
- UO di Pediatria d'Urgenza, IRCCS Policlinico Sant'Orsola, Bologna, Italy
| | - Caterina Gambi
- IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, UOC di Neuropsichiatria dell'Età Pediatrica, Bologna, Italy
- Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche e Chirurgiche (DIMEC), Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Luca Soliani
- IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, UOC di Neuropsichiatria dell'Età Pediatrica, Bologna, Italy
| | - Veronica Di Pisa
- IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, UOC di Neuropsichiatria dell'Età Pediatrica, Bologna, Italy
| | - Silvia Martini
- Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche e Chirurgiche (DIMEC), Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
- Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, IRCCS AOUBO, Bologna, Italy
| | - Giacomo Sperti
- Scuola di Specializzazione in Pediatria - Alma Mater Studiorum, Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Valeria Cagnazzo
- Scuola di Specializzazione in Pediatria - Alma Mater Studiorum, Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | | | - Emanuele Bartolini
- Department of Developmental Neuroscience, IRCCS Stella Maris Foundation, 56128, Pisa, Italy
| | - Domenica Battaglia
- Pediatric Neurology, Department of Woman and Child Health and Public Health, Child Health Area, Catholic University UCSC, Rome, Italy
| | - Pia Bernardo
- Department of Neurosciences, Pediatric Psychiatry and Neurology Unit, Santobono-Pausilipon Children's Hospital, Naples, Italy
| | - Maria Paola Canevini
- Epilepsy Center, Childhood and Adolescence Neuropsychiatry Unit, ASST Santi Paolo e Carlo, San Paolo Hospital, 20142, Milan, Italy
| | - Anna Rita Ferrari
- Department of Developmental Neuroscience, IRCCS Stella Maris Foundation, 56128, Pisa, Italy
| | - Lucio Giordano
- Child Neuropsychiatric Division, Spedali Civili, Brescia, Italy
| | | | - Margherita Mancardi
- Unit of Child Neuropsychiatry, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Epicare Network for Rare Disease, Genoa, Italy
| | - Alessandro Orsini
- Pediatric Neurology, Pediatric University Department, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Pisana, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Tommaso Pippucci
- U.O. Genetica Medica, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna Policlinico S Orsola, Bologna, Emilia- Romagna, Italy
| | - Dario Pruna
- Department of Pediatric Neurology and Epileptology, Pediatric Depatment, ARNAS Brotzu, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Anna Rosati
- Neuroscience Department, Children's Hospital Anna Meyer, University of Florence, Viale Gaetano Pieraccini, 24, 50139, Firenze, Italy
| | - Agnese Suppiej
- Department of Medical Sciences, Pediatric Section, University Hospital of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Sara Tagliani
- Department of Medical Sciences, Pediatric Section, University Hospital of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Alessandro Vaisfeld
- Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche e Chirurgiche (DIMEC), Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
- U.O. Genetica Medica, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna Policlinico S Orsola, Bologna, Emilia- Romagna, Italy
| | - Aglaia Vignoli
- Child Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Health Sciences, ASSTGrande Ospedale Metropolitano, Niguarda, Milano, Italy
| | - Kosuke Izumi
- Division of Genetics and Metabolism, Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd., 75390, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Ian Krantz
- Divisions of Human Genetics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Duccio Maria Cordelli
- IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, UOC di Neuropsichiatria dell'Età Pediatrica, Bologna, Italy
- Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche e Chirurgiche (DIMEC), Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
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Salgues S, Plancher G, Michael GA. Is it really on your hand? Spontaneous sensations are not peripheral sensations - Evidence from able-bodied individuals and a phantom limb syndrome patient. Brain Cogn 2024; 175:106138. [PMID: 38335922 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2024.106138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Revised: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
Among other bodily signals, the perception of sensations arising spontaneously on the skin with no external triggers contributes to body awareness. The topic of spontaneous sensations (SPS) being quite recent in the literature, there is still a debate whether this phenomenon is elicited by peripheral cutaneous units' activity underlying tactile perception or originates directly from central mechanisms. In a first experiment, we figured that, if SPS depended on peripheral afferents, their perception on the glabrous hand should relate to the hand tactile sensitivity. On the contrary, we found no relationship at all, which led us to envisage the scenario of SPS in the absence of cutaneous units. In a second experiment, we present the case of Julie, a right-hand amputee that could perceive and report SPS arising on her phantom limb syndrome. We found that SPS distribution on the phantom limb followed the same gradient as that observed in control participants, unlike SPS perceived on the intact left hand. Those findings are crucial to the understanding of neural factors determining body awareness through SPS perception and provide insights into the existence of a precise neural gradient underlying somesthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Salgues
- Département de Sciences Cognitives, Psychologie Cognitive & Neuropsychologie, Institut de Psychologie, Unité de Recherche Étude des Mécanismes Cognitifs (EA 3082), Université Lumière Lyon 2, Lyon, France; Laboratoire Mémoire Cerveau et Cognition, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France.
| | - Gaën Plancher
- Département de Sciences Cognitives, Psychologie Cognitive & Neuropsychologie, Institut de Psychologie, Unité de Recherche Étude des Mécanismes Cognitifs (EA 3082), Université Lumière Lyon 2, Lyon, France; Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), France
| | - George A Michael
- Département de Sciences Cognitives, Psychologie Cognitive & Neuropsychologie, Institut de Psychologie, Unité de Recherche Étude des Mécanismes Cognitifs (EA 3082), Université Lumière Lyon 2, Lyon, France
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McManus R, Thomas LE. Action does not drive visual biases in peri-tool space. Atten Percept Psychophys 2024; 86:525-535. [PMID: 38127254 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-023-02826-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Observers experience visual biases in the area around handheld tools. These biases may occur when active use leads an observer to incorporate a tool into the body schema. However, the visual salience of a handheld tool may instead create an attentional prioritization that is not reliant on body-based representations. We investigated these competing explanations of near-tool visual biases in two experiments during which participants performed a target detection task. Targets could appear near or far from a tool positioned next to a display. In Experiment 1, participants showed facilitation in detecting targets that appeared near a simple handheld rake tool regardless of whether they first used the rake to retrieve objects, but participants who only viewed the tool without holding it were no faster to detect targets appearing near the rake than targets that appeared on the opposite side of the display. In a second experiment, participants who held a novel magnetic tool again showed a near-tool bias even when they refrained from using the tool. Taken together, these results suggest active use is unnecessary, but visual salience is not sufficient, to introduce visual biases in peri-tool space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert McManus
- Center for Visual and Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, USA
| | - Laura E Thomas
- Center for Visual and Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, USA.
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10
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Möllmann A, Heinrichs N, Herwig A. A conceptual framework on body representations and their relevance for mental disorders. Front Psychol 2024; 14:1231640. [PMID: 38250111 PMCID: PMC10796836 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1231640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Many mental disorders are accompanied by distortions in the way the own body is perceived and represented (e.g., eating disorders, body dysmorphic disorder including muscle dysmorphia, or body integrity dysphoria). We are interested in the way these distortions develop and aim at better understanding their role in mental health across the lifespan. For this purpose, we first propose a conceptual framework of body representation that defines this construct and integrates different perspectives (e.g., cognitive neuroscience, clinical psychology) on body representations. The framework consists of a structural and a process model of body representation emphasizing different goals: the structural model aims to support researchers from different disciplines to structure results from studies and help collectively accumulate knowledge about body representations and their role in mental disorders. The process model is reflecting the dynamics during the information processing of body-related stimuli. It aims to serve as a motor for (experimental) study development on how distorted body representations emerge and might be changed. Second, we use this framework to review the normative development of body representations as well as the development of mental disorders that relate to body representations with the aim to further clarify the potential transdiagnostic role of body representations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Möllmann
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Sports Science, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
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Scattolin M, Panasiti MS, Ho JT, Lenggenhager B, Aglioti SM. Ownership of the affected leg is further reduced following deceptive behaviors in body integrity dysphoria. iScience 2023; 26:107551. [PMID: 37664627 PMCID: PMC10469995 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Revised: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Although predicted by the notion of embodied morality, it remains unknown whether a reduced sense of body ownership (SoO) is associated with increased or decreased dishonesty. To clarify this issue, we tested patients with body integrity dysphoria (BID), a clinical condition characterized by chronic reductions of SoO toward one leg that patients persistently desire to have amputated. Participants with BID played a card game in which they could voluntarily tell the truth or cheat an opponent, and thus either steal or give them money. To assess whether SoO toward the effector limb influences (im)moral decisions, responses were communicated with the affected or the unaffected leg. We found that a higher number of self-gain lies was followed by further reductions of SoO toward the affected leg. Our result supports the idea that reductions of SoO may follow immoral behaviors to distance from unwanted characteristics of the self, like one's own dishonesty.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Scattolin
- Sapienza University of Rome and CLNS@Sapienza, Italian Institute of Technology, Rome (RM) 00161, Italy
| | - Maria Serena Panasiti
- Santa Lucia Foundation, IRCCS, Rome (RM) 00179, Italy
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome (RM) 00185, Italy
| | - Jasmine T. Ho
- Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, 8050 Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University of Zurich, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Bigna Lenggenhager
- Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, 8050 Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz, 78457 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Salvatore Maria Aglioti
- Sapienza University of Rome and CLNS@Sapienza, Italian Institute of Technology, Rome (RM) 00161, Italy
- Santa Lucia Foundation, IRCCS, Rome (RM) 00179, Italy
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Lyu D, Stieger JR, Xin C, Ma E, Lusk Z, Aparicio MK, Werbaneth K, Perry CM, Deisseroth K, Buch V, Parvizi J. Causal evidence for the processing of bodily self in the anterior precuneus. Neuron 2023; 111:2502-2512.e4. [PMID: 37295420 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.05.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2022] [Revised: 03/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
To probe the causal importance of the human posteromedial cortex (PMC) in processing the sense of self, we studied a rare cohort of nine patients with electrodes implanted bilaterally in the precuneus, posterior cingulate, and retrosplenial regions with a combination of neuroimaging, intracranial recordings, and direct cortical stimulations. In all participants, the stimulation of specific sites within the anterior precuneus (aPCu) caused dissociative changes in physical and spatial domains. Using single-pulse electrical stimulations and neuroimaging, we present effective and resting-state connectivity of aPCu hot zone with the rest of the brain and show that they are located outside the boundaries of the default mode network (DMN) but connected reciprocally with it. We propose that the function of this subregion of the PMC is integral to a range of cognitive processes that require the self's physical point of reference, given its location within a spatial environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dian Lyu
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA; Human Intracranial Cognitive Electrophysiology Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA; Departments of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
| | - James Robert Stieger
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA; Human Intracranial Cognitive Electrophysiology Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA; Departments of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Cindy Xin
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA; Human Intracranial Cognitive Electrophysiology Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA; Departments of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Eileen Ma
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA; Human Intracranial Cognitive Electrophysiology Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA; Departments of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Zoe Lusk
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA; Human Intracranial Cognitive Electrophysiology Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA; Departments of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Mariel Kalkach Aparicio
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Katherine Werbaneth
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA; Human Intracranial Cognitive Electrophysiology Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA; Departments of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Claire Megan Perry
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA; Human Intracranial Cognitive Electrophysiology Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA; Departments of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Karl Deisseroth
- Departments of Psychiatry, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Vivek Buch
- Human Intracranial Cognitive Electrophysiology Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA; Departments of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Josef Parvizi
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA; Human Intracranial Cognitive Electrophysiology Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA; Departments of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA; Departments of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
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Zito GA, Tarrano C, Ouarab S, Jegatheesan P, Ekmen A, Béranger B, Valabregue R, Hubsch C, Sangla S, Bonnet C, Delorme C, Méneret A, Degos B, Bouquet F, Apoil Brissard M, Vidailhet M, Hasboun D, Worbe Y, Roze E, Gallea C. Fixel-Based Analysis Reveals Whole-Brain White Matter Abnormalities in Cervical Dystonia. Mov Disord 2023. [PMID: 37148555 DOI: 10.1002/mds.29425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2023] [Revised: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cervical dystonia (CD) is a form of isolated focal dystonia typically associated to abnormal head, neck, and shoulder movements and postures. The complexity of the clinical presentation limits the investigation of its pathophysiological mechanisms, and the neural networks associated to specific motor manifestations are still the object of debate. OBJECTIVES We investigated the morphometric properties of white matter fibers in CD and explored the networks associated with motor symptoms, while regressing out nonmotor scores. METHODS Nineteen patients affected by CD and 21 healthy controls underwent diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. We performed fixel-based analysis, a novel method evaluating fiber orientation within specific fiber bundles, and compared fiber morphometric properties between groups. Moreover, we correlated fiber morphometry with the severity of motor symptoms in patients. RESULTS Compared to controls, patients exhibited decreased white matter fibers in the right striatum. Motor symptom severity negatively correlated with white matter fibers passing through inferior parietal areas and the head representation area of the motor cortex. CONCLUSIONS Abnormal white matter integrity at the basal ganglia level may affect several functional networks involved, for instance, in motor preparation and execution, visuomotor coordination, and multimodal integration. This may result in progressive maladaptive plasticity, culminating in overt symptoms of dystonia. © 2023 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Clément Tarrano
- Movement Investigation and Therapeutics Team, Paris Brain Institute, Sorbonne University, Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR7225, Paris, France
- Department of Neurology, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Paris, France
| | - Salim Ouarab
- Movement Investigation and Therapeutics Team, Paris Brain Institute, Sorbonne University, Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR7225, Paris, France
| | - Prasanthi Jegatheesan
- Movement Investigation and Therapeutics Team, Paris Brain Institute, Sorbonne University, Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR7225, Paris, France
| | - Asya Ekmen
- Movement Investigation and Therapeutics Team, Paris Brain Institute, Sorbonne University, Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR7225, Paris, France
| | - Benoît Béranger
- Center for NeuroImaging Research (CENIR), Paris Brain Institute, Sorbonne University, Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Paris, France
| | - Romain Valabregue
- Center for NeuroImaging Research (CENIR), Paris Brain Institute, Sorbonne University, Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Paris, France
| | - Cécile Hubsch
- Movement Investigation and Therapeutics Team, Paris Brain Institute, Sorbonne University, Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR7225, Paris, France
| | - Sophie Sangla
- Movement Investigation and Therapeutics Team, Paris Brain Institute, Sorbonne University, Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR7225, Paris, France
| | - Cécilia Bonnet
- Movement Investigation and Therapeutics Team, Paris Brain Institute, Sorbonne University, Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR7225, Paris, France
| | - Cécile Delorme
- Movement Investigation and Therapeutics Team, Paris Brain Institute, Sorbonne University, Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR7225, Paris, France
| | - Aurélie Méneret
- Movement Investigation and Therapeutics Team, Paris Brain Institute, Sorbonne University, Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR7225, Paris, France
- DMU Neurosciences, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Bertrand Degos
- Movement Investigation and Therapeutics Team, Paris Brain Institute, Sorbonne University, Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR7225, Paris, France
- Neurology Unit, AP-HP, Avicenne University Hospital, Sorbonne Paris Nord, Bobigny, France
- Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Biology, Collège de France, CNRS UMR7241/INSERM U1050, Université PSL, Paris, France
| | - Floriane Bouquet
- Movement Investigation and Therapeutics Team, Paris Brain Institute, Sorbonne University, Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR7225, Paris, France
| | | | - Marie Vidailhet
- Movement Investigation and Therapeutics Team, Paris Brain Institute, Sorbonne University, Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR7225, Paris, France
- DMU Neurosciences, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Dominique Hasboun
- Movement Investigation and Therapeutics Team, Paris Brain Institute, Sorbonne University, Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR7225, Paris, France
- Department of Neurology, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Paris, France
| | - Yulia Worbe
- Movement Investigation and Therapeutics Team, Paris Brain Institute, Sorbonne University, Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR7225, Paris, France
- Department of Neurophysiology, Saint-Antoine Hospital, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Emmanuel Roze
- Movement Investigation and Therapeutics Team, Paris Brain Institute, Sorbonne University, Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR7225, Paris, France
- DMU Neurosciences, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Cécile Gallea
- Movement Investigation and Therapeutics Team, Paris Brain Institute, Sorbonne University, Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR7225, Paris, France
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Giovaola Y, Rojo Martinez V, Ionta S. Degraded vision affects mental representations of the body. VISUAL COGNITION 2023. [DOI: 10.1080/13506285.2023.2186997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/11/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Yasmine Giovaola
- Sensory-Motor Lab (SeMoLa), Department of Ophthalmology-University of Lausanne, Jules Gonin Eye Hospital-Fondation Asile des Aveugles, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Viviana Rojo Martinez
- Sensory-Motor Lab (SeMoLa), Department of Ophthalmology-University of Lausanne, Jules Gonin Eye Hospital-Fondation Asile des Aveugles, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Silvio Ionta
- Sensory-Motor Lab (SeMoLa), Department of Ophthalmology-University of Lausanne, Jules Gonin Eye Hospital-Fondation Asile des Aveugles, Lausanne, Switzerland
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Sarıçan Y, Erdoğanoğlu Y, Pepe M. The effect of body awareness on trunk control, affected upper extremity function, balance, fear of falling, functional level, and level of independence in patients with stroke. Top Stroke Rehabil 2023:1-10. [PMID: 36871579 DOI: 10.1080/10749357.2023.2185995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/07/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This study was conducted to examine the effects of body awareness on trunk control, affected upper extremity function, balance, fear of falling, functional level, and level of independence in patients with stroke. METHODS 35 individuals between the ages of 21 and 78 who were diagnosed with stroke were included in the study. The body awareness of the individuals participating in the study was determined with the Body Awareness Questionnaire (BAQ), trunk control with Trunk Impairment Scale (TIS), the affected upper extremity functions with Motor Activity Log-28 (MAL,-28), and Fugl-Meyer Upper Extremity Assessment (FMUEA), balance with Berg Balance Scale (BBS), fear of falling with Tinetti Falls Efficacy Scale (TFES), functional level with Barthel Activities of Daily Living Index (BI) and level of independence with Functional Independence Measures (FIM). RESULTS For patients participating in the study, 26% were female, 74% were male and 43% showed left, 57% showed right hemisphere involvement. In simple linear regression analysis, BAQ measurement had a statistically significant effect on TIS (F = 25.439 p = 0.001), MAL-28 (F = 7.852 p = 0.008), FMUEA (F = 12.155 p = 0.001), BBS (F = 13.506 p = 0.001), TFES (F = 13.119 p = 0.001), BI (F = 19.977 p = 0.001) and FIM (F = 22.014 p = 0.001) in patients with stroke. CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, body awareness was found to be one of the factors affecting trunk control, affected upper extremity function, balance, fear of falling, functional level, and level of independence in patients with stroke. It was thought that there was a need for assessment of body awareness and include bodyawareness in rehabilitation programs in patients with stroke.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yusuf Sarıçan
- Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Department, Institute of Health Sciences, Üsküdar University, İstanbul, Türkiye
| | - Yıldız Erdoğanoğlu
- Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, Antalya Bilim University, Antalya, Türkiye
| | - Murad Pepe
- Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, Antalya Bilim University, Antalya, Türkiye
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Apparent increase in lip size influences two-point discrimination. Sci Rep 2023; 13:3082. [PMID: 36813847 PMCID: PMC9947174 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-30067-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Magnified vision of one's body part has been shown to improve tactile discrimination. We used an anesthetic cream (AC) to determine if somesthetic stimulation that alters the perception of the size of one's body would also improve two point-discrimination (2PD). In Experiment 1, application of AC caused an increase in perceived lip size and an improvement in a 2PD. As perceived lip size increased, subjects became more accurate in identifying that they had been touched in two locations. Experiment 2 confirmed this effect in a larger sample and introduced a control condition (no AC) that demonstrated that the change in performance was not attributable to practice or familiarity with the task. In Experiment 3, we showed that both AC and moisturizing cream improved subjects' ability to indicate that they had been touched in 2 locations, but the improvement was modulated by perceived lip size only for AC. These results support the idea that changes in the body representation influence 2PD.
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Fusco G, Ciccarone S, Petrucci M, Cozzani B, Vercelli G, Cotugno A, Bufalari I. Altered processing of conflicting body representations in women with restrictive anorexia nervosa. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2023:10.1007/s00426-022-01788-3. [PMID: 36592180 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-022-01788-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Cognitive and affective impairments in processing body image have been observed in patients with Anorexia Nervosa (AN) and may induce the hypercontrolled and regulative behaviors observed in this disorder. Here, we aimed to probe the link between activation of body representations and cognitive control by investigating the ability to resolve body-related representational conflicts in women with restrictive AN and matched healthy controls (HC). Participants performed a modified version of the Flanker task in which underweight and overweight body images were presented as targets and distractors; a classic version of the task, with letters, was also administered as a control. The findings indicated that performance was better among the HC group in the task with bodies compared to the task with letters; however, no such facilitation was observed in AN patients, whose overall performance was poorer than that of the HC group in both tasks. In the task with body stimuli, performance among patients with AN was the worst on trials presenting underweight targets with overweight bodies as flankers. These results may reflect a dysfunctional association between the processing of body-related representations and cognitive control mechanisms that may aid clinicians in the development of optimal individualized treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Fusco
- Department of Psychology, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, "Sapienza" University of Rome and CLN2S@SAPIENZA, Rome, Italy.
- IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy.
| | - S Ciccarone
- Department of Psychology, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, "Sapienza" University of Rome and CLN2S@SAPIENZA, Rome, Italy
- IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
| | - M Petrucci
- Scuola di Psicoterapia Cognitiva S.r.l., Rome, Italy
- Department of Human Sciences, Guglielmo Marconi University, Rome, Italy
| | - B Cozzani
- Eating Disorders Unit, Department of Psychiatry, ASL Roma1, Rome, Italy
| | - G Vercelli
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - A Cotugno
- Eating Disorders Unit, Department of Psychiatry, ASL Roma1, Rome, Italy
| | - I Bufalari
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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Abass MY, Shendy W, Samir H, Sweif RE, Ahmed MA, Awad A. Assessment of shoulder proprioception in patients with chronic mechanical cervical pain: A comparative study. J Back Musculoskelet Rehabil 2023; 36:1285-1293. [PMID: 37092213 DOI: 10.3233/bmr-220173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/25/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Chronic mechanical cervical pain (CMCP) is a common disabling problem worldwide, interfering with upper extremities function. However studying the impact of CMCP on shoulder proprioception is still lacking. OBJECTIVE To investigate the impact of CMCP on shoulder proprioception in young adults compared with normal control (NC) individuals. METHODS A comparative study was conducted between two groups; 40 patients with CMCP (mean age 32.28 ± 6.586) and 40 age and sex matched NC (mean age 33.43 ± 9.021). The Biodex isokinetic dynamometer was used to assess shoulder active sense of position at 30∘ external and internal rotations. The absolute angular error was calculated for the dominant and non-dominant shoulders. RESULTS The absolute angular error was significantly increased only in the CMCP at both rotation angles for both shoulders, showing a remarkable increase on the dominant shoulder and in the external rotation range compared with NC. CONCLUSIONS CMCP can significantly impair shoulder proprioception, particularly on the dominant side and in external rotation range. This could emphasize the careful examination of shoulder proprioception for the early detection of shoulders at risk, to eliminate the possibility of shoulder instability and/or injury in young adults with CMCP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed Yassen Abass
- Department of Physical Therapy for Neurological Disorders, Kasr Al-Ainy Educational Hospital, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Wael Shendy
- Department of Physical Therapy for Neurology, Faculty of Physical Therapy, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Hatem Samir
- Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Radwa E Sweif
- Department of Biomechanics, Faculty of Physical Therapy, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Mai A Ahmed
- Department for Woman and Child Health, Faculty of Physical Therapy, Beni-Suef University, Beni Suef, Egypt
| | - Amina Awad
- Department of Physical Therapy for Neurology, Faculty of Physical Therapy, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
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Ferraro S, Klugah-Brown B, Tench CR, Bazinet V, Bore MC, Nigri A, Demichelis G, Bruzzone MG, Palermo S, Zhao W, Yao S, Jiang X, Kendrick KM, Becker B. The central autonomic system revisited – Convergent evidence for a regulatory role of the insular and midcingulate cortex from neuroimaging meta-analyses. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 142:104915. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Revised: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Scattolin M, Panasiti MS, Aglioti SM. Morality in the flesh: on the link between bodily self-consciousness, moral identity and (dis)honest behaviour. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:220061. [PMID: 36061520 DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.c.6158554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
The sense of owning a body (ownership) and controlling its actions (agency) are two main pillars of bodily self-consciousness (BSC). Although studies suggest that BSC signals and morality may be associated, whether such association has a positive or negative direction remains unclear. To investigate this issue, we conducted two pre-registered, online studies, in which a total of 1309 participants completed BSC- and morality-related questionnaires and undertook a task where they could cheat for monetary gain. We found that participants with high sense of ownership displayed high moral identity, which supports the notion that ownership is used to associate the self with positive characteristics. Moreover, high agency was associated with increased moral identity when sense of power is high. Results regarding deception are less clear, and might relate to the impact of COVID-19. Our results concerning moral identity may inspire policies that rely on changes of corporeal awareness to contrast immorality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Scattolin
- Sapienza University of Rome and CLN2S@Sapienza, Italian Institute of Technology, Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Serena Panasiti
- Santa Lucia Foundation, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Salvatore Maria Aglioti
- Sapienza University of Rome and CLN2S@Sapienza, Italian Institute of Technology, Rome, Italy
- Santa Lucia Foundation, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
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Scattolin M, Panasiti MS, Aglioti SM. Morality in the flesh: on the link between bodily self-consciousness, moral identity and (dis)honest behaviour. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:220061. [PMID: 36061520 PMCID: PMC9428530 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.220061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
The sense of owning a body (ownership) and controlling its actions (agency) are two main pillars of bodily self-consciousness (BSC). Although studies suggest that BSC signals and morality may be associated, whether such association has a positive or negative direction remains unclear. To investigate this issue, we conducted two pre-registered, online studies, in which a total of 1309 participants completed BSC- and morality-related questionnaires and undertook a task where they could cheat for monetary gain. We found that participants with high sense of ownership displayed high moral identity, which supports the notion that ownership is used to associate the self with positive characteristics. Moreover, high agency was associated with increased moral identity when sense of power is high. Results regarding deception are less clear, and might relate to the impact of COVID-19. Our results concerning moral identity may inspire policies that rely on changes of corporeal awareness to contrast immorality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Scattolin
- Sapienza University of Rome and CLNS@Sapienza, Italian Institute of Technology, Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Serena Panasiti
- Santa Lucia Foundation, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Salvatore Maria Aglioti
- Sapienza University of Rome and CLNS@Sapienza, Italian Institute of Technology, Rome, Italy
- Santa Lucia Foundation, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
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Scattolin M, Panasiti MS, Aglioti SM. Morality in the flesh: on the link between bodily self-consciousness, moral identity and (dis)honest behaviour. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:220061. [PMID: 36061520 DOI: 10.17632/84tz3jkhr3.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
The sense of owning a body (ownership) and controlling its actions (agency) are two main pillars of bodily self-consciousness (BSC). Although studies suggest that BSC signals and morality may be associated, whether such association has a positive or negative direction remains unclear. To investigate this issue, we conducted two pre-registered, online studies, in which a total of 1309 participants completed BSC- and morality-related questionnaires and undertook a task where they could cheat for monetary gain. We found that participants with high sense of ownership displayed high moral identity, which supports the notion that ownership is used to associate the self with positive characteristics. Moreover, high agency was associated with increased moral identity when sense of power is high. Results regarding deception are less clear, and might relate to the impact of COVID-19. Our results concerning moral identity may inspire policies that rely on changes of corporeal awareness to contrast immorality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Scattolin
- Sapienza University of Rome and CLN2S@Sapienza, Italian Institute of Technology, Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Serena Panasiti
- Santa Lucia Foundation, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Salvatore Maria Aglioti
- Sapienza University of Rome and CLN2S@Sapienza, Italian Institute of Technology, Rome, Italy
- Santa Lucia Foundation, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
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Martinez VR, Giovanola Y, Ionta S. Social touch somatotopically affects mental body representations. Neuroscience 2022; 494:178-186. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.05.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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24
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Smartphone use can modify the body schema: An ERP study based on hand mental rotation task. COMPUTERS IN HUMAN BEHAVIOR 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2021.107134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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25
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Tessari A, Ottoboni G. Does the body talk to the body? The relationship between different body representations while observing others' body parts. Br J Psychol 2022; 113:758-776. [PMID: 35181883 PMCID: PMC9545991 DOI: 10.1111/bjop.12558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 02/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The way human bodies are represented is central in everyday activities. The cognitive system must combine internal, visceral, and somatosensory, signals to external, visually driven information generated from the spatial placement of others’ bodies and the own body in the space. However, how different body representations covertly interact among them when observing human body parts is still unclear. Therefore, we investigated the implicit processing of body parts by manipulating either the body part stimuli’ posture (conditions a and b) or the participants’ response body posture (conditions c, d, and e) in healthy participants (N = 70) using a spatial compatibility task called Sidedness task. The task requires participants to judge the colour of a circle superimposed on a task‐irrelevant body part picture. Responses are facilitated when the spatial side of the responding hand corresponds to the spatial code generated by the hand stimulus's position with respect to a body of reference. Results showed that the observation of the task‐irrelevant body parts oriented participants’ attention and facilitated responses that were spatial compatible with the spatial position such body parts have within a configural representation of the body structure (i.e., Body Structural Representation) in all the five experimental conditions. Notably, the body part stimuli were mentally attached to the body according to the most comfortable and less awkward postures, following the anatomo‐physiological constraints. Moreover, the pattern of the results was not influenced by manipulating the participants’ response postures, suggesting that the automatic and implicit coding of the body part stimuli does not rely on proprioceptive information about one's body (i.e., Body Schema). We propose that the human body's morphometry knowledge is enriched by biomechanical and anatomo‐physiological information about the real body movement possibilities. Moreover, we discuss the importance of the automatic orienting of attention based on the sidedness within the context of imitational learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessia Tessari
- Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
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26
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Improving Body Representation and Motor Skills with a Preschool Education Program: A Preliminary Study. CHILDREN 2022; 9:children9010117. [PMID: 35053742 PMCID: PMC8774343 DOI: 10.3390/children9010117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Revised: 01/10/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Background: Body representation is described as a fundamental ability to build efficient motor skills. However, no structured and evidence-based program on body representation currently exists. This study assesses the effectiveness of a school-based body representation program (ENCOR: EN for ‘Enfant’ and COR for ‘Corps’ in French) on body representation abilities and motor skills in preschool children. ENCOR focus on body representation abilities as a foundational ability for motor skills. It was designed with teachers and occupational therapists to be autonomously achieved by teachers. Methods: Twenty-three children aged 5–6 years were included and provided with education interventions (control versus ENCOR). Results: Body representation accuracy and precision in localization increased by about 20% and 37%, respectively, in the intervention program compared to the control intervention. In the body part naming task, participants performed fewer of the most frequent errors (i.e., from 198 to 116 left-right discrimination errors). As expected, performance in the body representation tasks and the motor skills tasks were correlated at baseline. We show that motor skills improved after the ENCOR training. Conclusions: Given the need for evidence-based programs in schools, this program could efficiently help implementing body representation education on a large scale. Future studies should evaluate the effectiveness of the program on other cognitive abilities and academic outcomes.
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27
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Fingelkurts AA, Fingelkurts AA, Kallio-Tamminen T. Self, Me and I in the repertoire of spontaneously occurring altered states of Selfhood: eight neurophenomenological case study reports. Cogn Neurodyn 2021; 16:255-282. [PMID: 35401860 PMCID: PMC8934794 DOI: 10.1007/s11571-021-09719-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Revised: 08/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
Abstract
This study investigates eight case reports of spontaneously emerging, brief episodes of vivid altered states of Selfhood (ASoSs) that occurred during mental exercise in six long-term meditators by using a neurophenomenological electroencephalography (EEG) approach. In agreement with the neurophenomenological methodology, first-person reports were used to identify such spontaneous ASoSs and to guide the neural analysis, which involved the estimation of three operational modules of the brain self-referential network (measured by EEG operational synchrony). The result of such analysis demonstrated that the documented ASoSs had unique neurophenomenological profiles, where several aspects or components of Selfhood (measured neurophysiologically and phenomenologically) are affected and expressed differently, but still in agreement with the neurophysiological three-dimensional construct model of the complex experiential Selfhood proposed in our earlier work (Fingelkurts et al. in Conscious Cogn 86:103031. 10.1016/j.concog.2020.103031, 2020).
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28
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Two senses of human limb position: methods of measurement and roles in proprioception. Exp Brain Res 2021; 239:3157-3174. [PMID: 34482421 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-021-06207-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2021] [Accepted: 08/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The sense of position of the body and its limbs is a proprioceptive sense. Proprioceptors are concerned with monitoring the body's own actions. Position sense is important because it is believed to contribute to our self-awareness. This review discusses recent developments in the debate about the sources of peripheral afferent signals contributing to position sense and describes different methods of measurement of position sense under conditions where vision does not participate. These include pointing to or verbal reporting of the perceived position of a hidden body part, alignment of one body part with the perceived position of another, or using memory-based repositioning tasks. The evidence suggests that there are at least two different mechanisms involved in the generation of position sense, mechanisms using different central processing pathways. The principal sensory receptor responsible for position sense is believed to be the muscle spindle. One criterion for identifying mechanism is whether position sense can be manipulated by controlled changes in spindle discharge rates. Position sense measured in two-limb matching is altered in a predictable way by such changes, while values for pointing and verbal reporting remain unresponsive. It is proposed that in two-limb matching the sensation generated is limb position in postural space. In pointing or verbal reporting, information is provided about limb position in extrapersonal space. Here vision is believed to play a role. The evidence suggests that we are aware, at the same time, of sensations of limb position in postural space as well as in extrapersonal space.
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Biggio M, Bisio A, Avanzino L, Ruggeri P, Bove M. Familiarity with a Tool Influences Peripersonal Space and Primary Motor Cortex Excitability of Muscles Involved in Haptic Contact. Cereb Cortex Commun 2021; 1:tgaa065. [PMID: 34296128 PMCID: PMC8152949 DOI: 10.1093/texcom/tgaa065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2020] [Revised: 08/04/2020] [Accepted: 09/06/2020] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Long-term experience with a tool stably enlarges peripersonal space (PPS). Also, gained experience with a tool modulates internal models of action. The aim of this work was to understand whether the familiarity with a tool influences both PPS and motor representation. Toward this goal, we tested in 13 expert fencers through a multisensory integration paradigm the embodiment in their PPS of a personal (pE) or a common (cE) épée. Then, we evaluated the primary motor cortex excitability of proximal (ECR) and distal (APB) muscles during a motor imagery (MI) task of an athletic gesture when athletes handled these tools. Results showed that pE enlarges subjects' PPS, while cE does not. Moreover, during MI, handling tools increased cortical excitability of ECR muscle. Notably, APB's cortical excitability during MI only increased with pE as a function of its embodiment in PPS. These findings indicate that the familiarity with a tool specifically enlarges PPS and modulates the cortical motor representation of those muscles involved in the haptic contact with it.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Biggio
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of Human Physiology and Centro Polifunzionale Scienze Motorie, University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy
| | - A Bisio
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of Human Physiology and Centro Polifunzionale Scienze Motorie, University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy
| | - L Avanzino
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of Human Physiology and Centro Polifunzionale Scienze Motorie, University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy
| | - P Ruggeri
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of Human Physiology and Centro Polifunzionale Scienze Motorie, University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy
| | - M Bove
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of Human Physiology and Centro Polifunzionale Scienze Motorie, University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy
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30
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Cross-network interaction for diagnosis of major depressive disorder based on resting state functional connectivity. Brain Imaging Behav 2021; 15:1279-1289. [PMID: 32734435 PMCID: PMC8286225 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-020-00326-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies have suggested that resting-state functional connectivity plays a central role in the physiopathology of major depressive disorder (MDD). However, the individualized diagnosis of MDD based on resting-state functional connectivity is still unclear, especially in first episode drug-naive patients with MDD. Resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging was enrolled from 30 first episode drug-naive patients with MDD and age- and gender-matched 31 healthy controls. Whole brain functional connectivity was computed and viewed as classification features. Multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) was performed to discriminate patients with MDD from controls. The experimental results exhibited a correct classification rate of 82.25% (p < 0.001) with sensitivity of 83.87% and specificity of 80.64%. Almost all of the consensus connections (125/128) were cross-network interaction among default mode network (DMN), salience network (SN), central executive network (CEN), visual cortex network (VN), Cerebellum and Other. Moreover, the supramarginal gyrus exhibited high discriminative power in classification. Our findings suggested cross-network interaction can be used as an effective biomarker for MDD clinical diagnosis, which may reveal the potential pathological mechanism for major depression. The current study further confirmed reliable application of MVPA in discriminating MDD patients from healthy controls.
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31
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Salgues S, Plancher G, Michael GA. Visuospatial working memory abilities and spontaneous sensations perception. Somatosens Mot Res 2021; 38:164-177. [PMID: 34180338 DOI: 10.1080/08990220.2021.1914018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Aim: Body awareness arises when attending to and maintaining awareness of visuospatial body representations. By the same token, focussing on representations transfers them to working memory. Body awareness and working memory seemingly rely on similar processes and recruit common parietal areas involved in perception. Therefore, we asked whether visuospatial working memory abilities would define individual differences in the perception of spontaneous sensations (SPS), i.e., bodily sensations perceived in the absence of triggers (e.g., tactile stimulation or movement), when attending to the body.Method: Participants completed two visuospatial working memory tasks to assess various mechanisms: (i) the decay of representations was assessed through a Brown-Peterson task in which the delay between the memorandum presentation and its recall was manipulated, and (ii) the impact of distractors' interference and cognitive load (i.e., complexity) on recall performances were assessed through a complex span task that required the processing of distractors while maintaining a memorandum. A standard SPS task involving localization and characterization of SPS perceived on the hands was completed afterwards.Results: Low performance due to decay, distractors' interference and cognitive load in visuospatial working memory was associated with a decrease in the frequency of SPS. Additionally, low performance due to distractors' cognitive load predicted a decrease in the perception of surface-type sensations, and high performance despite distractors' interference led to a better perception of SPS on less sensitive areas of the hand.Conclusion: We discuss how visuospatial working memory processes might contribute to body awareness and perceptual distortions of the body.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Salgues
- Université de Lyon, Lyon, France.,Département de Sciences Cognitives, Psychologie Cognitive et Neuropsychologie, Laboratoire d'Étude des Mécanismes Cognitifs (EA 3082), Institut de Psychologie, Université Lyon 2, Lyon, France
| | - Gaën Plancher
- Université de Lyon, Lyon, France.,Département de Sciences Cognitives, Psychologie Cognitive et Neuropsychologie, Laboratoire d'Étude des Mécanismes Cognitifs (EA 3082), Institut de Psychologie, Université Lyon 2, Lyon, France
| | - George A Michael
- Université de Lyon, Lyon, France.,Département de Sciences Cognitives, Psychologie Cognitive et Neuropsychologie, Laboratoire d'Étude des Mécanismes Cognitifs (EA 3082), Institut de Psychologie, Université Lyon 2, Lyon, France
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32
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Romano D, Mioli A, D'Alonzo M, Maravita A, Di Lazzaro V, Di Pino G. Behavioral and Physiological Evidence of a favored Hand Posture in the Body Representation for Action. Cereb Cortex 2021; 31:3299-3310. [PMID: 33611384 PMCID: PMC8196246 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2020] [Revised: 01/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Motor planning and execution require a representational map of our body. Since the body can assume different postures, it is not known how it is represented in this map. Moreover, is the generation of the motor command favored by some body configurations? We investigated the existence of a centrally favored posture of the hand for action, in search of physiological and behavioral advantages due to central motor processing. We tested two opposite hand pinch grips, equally difficult and commonly used: forearm pronated, thumb-down, index-up pinch against the same grip performed with thumb-up. The former revealed faster movement onset, sign of faster neural computation, and faster target reaching. It induced increased corticospinal excitability, independently on pre-stimulus tonic muscle contraction. Remarkably, motor excitability also increased when thumb-down pinch was only observed, imagined, or prepared, actually keeping the hand at rest. Motor advantages were independent of any concurrent modulation due to somatosensory input, as shown by testing afferent inhibition. Results provide strong behavioral and physiological evidence for a preferred hand posture favoring brain motor control, independently by somatosensory processing. This suggests the existence of a baseline postural representation that may serve as an a priori spatial reference for body-space interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniele Romano
- Psychology Department, NeuroMi, Milan Center for Neuroscience, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Alessandro Mioli
- Research Unit of Neurophysiology and Neuroengineering of Human-Technology Interaction (NeXTlab), Department of Medicine, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Marco D'Alonzo
- Research Unit of Neurophysiology and Neuroengineering of Human-Technology Interaction (NeXTlab), Department of Medicine, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Angelo Maravita
- Psychology Department, NeuroMi, Milan Center for Neuroscience, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Di Lazzaro
- Research Unit of Neurology, Neurophysiology and Neurobiology, Department of Medicine, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Giovanni Di Pino
- Research Unit of Neurophysiology and Neuroengineering of Human-Technology Interaction (NeXTlab), Department of Medicine, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy
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Munóz-Jiménez J, Rojas-Valverde D, Leon K. Future Challenges in the Assessment of Proprioception in Exercise Sciences: Is Imitation an Alternative? Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:664667. [PMID: 34149381 PMCID: PMC8206265 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.664667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Daniel Rojas-Valverde
- Facultad Ciencias del Deporte, Universidad de Extremadura, Cáceres, Spain.,Centro de Investigación y Diagnóstico en Salud y Deporte (CIDISAD), Escuela Ciencias del Movimiento Humano y Calidad de Vida (CIEMHCAVI), Universidad Nacional, Heredia, Costa Rica
| | - Kiko Leon
- Facultad Ciencias del Deporte, Universidad de Extremadura, Cáceres, Spain
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34
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Monti A, Porciello G, Panasiti MS, Aglioti SM. The inside of me: interoceptive constraints on the concept of self in neuroscience and clinical psychology. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2021; 86:2468-2477. [PMID: 34050431 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-021-01477-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Humans are unique in their ability to think about themselves and carry a more or less clear notion of who they are in their mind. Here we review recent evidence suggesting that the birth, maintenance, and loss of the abstract concept of 'self' is deeply tied to interoception, the sense of internal physiological signals. Interoception influences multiple facets of the self-concept, cutting across its material, social, moral, and agentive components. Overall, we argue that interoception contributes to the stability of the self-concept over time, unifying its layers and constraining the degree to which it is susceptible to external influences. Hence, the core features of the self-concept are those that correlate more with inner bodily states. We discuss the implications that this may have for theories of embodied cognition as well as for the understanding of psychiatric disorders in which the concept of self appears fragmented or loose. Finally, we formulate some empirical predictions that could be tested in future studies to shed further light on this emerging field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Monti
- Sapienza, Università di Roma and CLNS@Sapienza, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rome, Italy.
| | - Giuseppina Porciello
- IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy.,Dipartimento di Psicologia, Sapienza, Università di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Serena Panasiti
- IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy.,Dipartimento di Psicologia, Sapienza, Università di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Salvatore Maria Aglioti
- Sapienza, Università di Roma and CLNS@Sapienza, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rome, Italy.,IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
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35
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Ciaunica A, Constant A, Preissl H, Fotopoulou K. The first prior: From co-embodiment to co-homeostasis in early life. Conscious Cogn 2021; 91:103117. [PMID: 33872985 PMCID: PMC7612030 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2021.103117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2020] [Revised: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
The idea that our perceptions in the here and now are influenced by prior events and experiences has recently received substantial support and attention from the proponents of the Predictive Processing (PP) and Active Inference framework in philosophy and computational neuroscience. In this paper we look at how perceptual experiences get off the ground from the outset, in utero. One basic yet overlooked aspect of current PP approaches is that human organisms first develop within another human body. Crucially, while not all humans will have the experience of being pregnant or carrying a baby, the experience of being carried and growing within another person's body is universal. Specifically, we focus on the development of minimal selfhood in utero as a process co-embodiment and co-homeostasis, and highlight their close relationship. We conclude with some implications on several critical questions fuelling current debates on the nature of conscious experiences, minimal self and social cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Ciaunica
- Institute of Philosophy, University of Porto, Via Panoramica s/n 4150-564, Porto, Portugal; Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, WC1N 3AR London, UK.
| | - Axel Constant
- Theory and Method in Biosciences, The University of Sydney, Level 6, Charles Perkins Centre D17, Johns Hopkins Drive, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Hubert Preissl
- Institute for Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases of the Helmholtz Center Munich at the University of Tübingen, Department of Internal Medicine IV, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetology, and Nephrology, University Hospital Tübingen, German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD e.V.), Tübingen, Germany
| | - Katerina Fotopoulou
- Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
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36
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de Klerk CCJM, Filippetti ML, Rigato S. The development of body representations: an associative learning account. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20210070. [PMID: 33906399 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.0070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Representing one's own body is of fundamental importance to interact with our environment, yet little is known about how body representations develop. One account suggests that the ability to represent one's own body is present from birth and supports infants' ability to detect similarities between their own and others' bodies. However, in recent years evidence has been accumulating for alternative accounts that emphasize the role of multisensory experience obtained through acting and interacting with our own body in the development of body representations. Here, we review this evidence, and propose an integrative account that suggests that through experience, infants form multisensory associations that facilitate the development of body representations. This associative account provides a coherent explanation for previous developmental findings, and generates novel hypotheses for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carina C J M de Klerk
- Centre for Brain Science, Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Colchester, UK
| | | | - Silvia Rigato
- Centre for Brain Science, Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Colchester, UK
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37
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Raimo S, Di Vita A, Boccia M, Iona T, Cropano M, Gaita M, Guariglia C, Grossi D, Palermo L. The Body across the Lifespan: On the Relation between Interoceptive Sensibility and High-Order Body Representations. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11040493. [PMID: 33924634 PMCID: PMC8070580 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11040493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Revised: 04/09/2021] [Accepted: 04/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Interoceptive information plays a pivotal role in building higher-order cognitive body representations (BR) that neuropsychological and neuroimaging evidence classifies as action-oriented (i.e., body schema) or non-action-oriented (i.e., visuo-spatial body map). This study aimed to explore the development of BR, considering the association with the interoceptive sensibility throughout the lifespan. Methods: Two hundred thirty-nine healthy participants divided into five age groups (7 to 8 years; 9 to 10 years; 18 to 40 years; 41 to 60 years; over 60 years) completed a self-report measure of interoceptive sensibility (the Self-Awareness Questionnaire; SAQ) and were given tasks assessing the two BR (action-oriented: hand laterality task; non-action-oriented: frontal body evocation task). Results: Both children (7–8 and 9–10 years) and older adults (over 60 years) performed worse than young (18–40 years) and middle-aged adults (41–60 years) in action- and non-action-oriented BR tasks. Moderation analyses showed that the SAQ score significantly moderated the relationship between age and action-oriented BR. Conclusions: The current results are consistent with inverted U-shaped developmental curves for action- and non-action-oriented BR. As an innovative aspect, the ability to mentally represent one’s own body parts in diverse states could be negatively affected by higher interoceptive sensibility levels in childhood and late adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Raimo
- Department of Psychology, University of Campania ‘Luigi Vanvitelli’, 81100 Caserta, Italy; (M.C.); (D.G.)
- Correspondence: (S.R.); (L.P.); Tel.: +39-0961-3694362 (L.P.)
| | - Antonella Di Vita
- Department of Human Neuroscience, ‘Sapienza’ University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy;
| | - Maddalena Boccia
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy; (M.B.); (C.G.)
- IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, 00179 Rome, Italy
| | - Teresa Iona
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University ‘Magna Graecia’ of Catanzaro, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy;
| | - Maria Cropano
- Department of Psychology, University of Campania ‘Luigi Vanvitelli’, 81100 Caserta, Italy; (M.C.); (D.G.)
| | - Mariachiara Gaita
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University ‘Magna Graecia’ of Catanzaro, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy;
| | - Cecilia Guariglia
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy; (M.B.); (C.G.)
- IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, 00179 Rome, Italy
| | - Dario Grossi
- Department of Psychology, University of Campania ‘Luigi Vanvitelli’, 81100 Caserta, Italy; (M.C.); (D.G.)
| | - Liana Palermo
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University ‘Magna Graecia’ of Catanzaro, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy;
- Correspondence: (S.R.); (L.P.); Tel.: +39-0961-3694362 (L.P.)
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Kumral E, Bayam FE, Özdemir HN. Cognitive and Behavioral Disorders in Patients with Precuneal Infarcts. Eur Neurol 2021; 84:157-167. [PMID: 33827093 DOI: 10.1159/000513098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2020] [Accepted: 11/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Ischemic stroke of the precuneal cortex (PC) alone is extremely rare. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical, neurocognitive, and behavioral characteristics of isolated PC infarcts. METHODS We assessed neuropsychological and behavioral findings in 12 patients with isolated PC infarct among 3,800 patients with ischemic stroke. To determine the most frequently affected brain locus in patients, we first overlapped the ischemic area of patients with specific cognitive disorders and patients without specific cognitive disorders. Second, we compared both overlap maps using the "subtraction plot" function of MRIcroGL. RESULTS Patients showed various types of cognitive disorders. All patients experienced more than 1 category of cognitive disorder, except for 2 patients with only 1 cognitive disorder. Lesion topographical analysis showed that damage within the anterior precuneal region might lead to consciousness disorders (25%), self-processing impairment (42%), visuospatial disorders (58%), and lesions in the posterior precuneal region caused episodic and semantic memory impairment (33%). The whole precuneus is involved in at least one body awareness disorder. The cause of stroke was cardioembolism in 5 patients (42%), large artery disease in 3 (25%), and unknown in 4 (33%). CONCLUSIONS This study showed a wide variety of neuropsychological and behavioral disorders in patients with precuneal infarct. Future studies are needed to achieve a proper definition of the function of the precuneus in relation to the extended cortical areas. PC region infarcts have been found to predict a source of embolism from the large arteries or heart.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emre Kumral
- Neurology Department, Ege University Medical School Hospital, İzmir, Turkey
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Pozeg P, Jöhr J, Pincherle A, Marie G, Ryvlin P, Meuli R, Hagmann P, Diserens K, Dunet V. Discriminating cognitive motor dissociation from disorders of consciousness using structural MRI. Neuroimage Clin 2021; 30:102651. [PMID: 33836454 PMCID: PMC8056460 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2021.102651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Revised: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
An accurate evaluation and detection of awareness after a severe brain injury is crucial to a patient's diagnosis, therapy, and end-of-life decisions. Misdiagnosis is frequent as behavior-based assessments often overlook subtle signs of consciousness. This study aimed to identify brain MRI characteristics of patients with residual consciousness after a severe brain injury and to develop a simple MRI-based scoring system according to the findings. We retrieved data from 128 patients and split them into a development or validation set. Structural brain MRIs were qualitatively assessed for lesions in 18 brain regions. We used logistic regression and support vector machine algorithms to first identify the most relevant brain regions predicting a patient's outcome in the development set. We next built a diagnostic MRI-based score and estimated its optimal diagnostic cut-off point. The classifiers were then tested on the validation set and their performance compared using the receiver operating characteristic curve. Relevant brain regions predicting negative outcome highly overlapped between both classifiers and included the left mesencephalon, right basal ganglia, right thalamus, right parietal cortex, and left frontal cortex. The support vector machine classifier showed higher accuracy (0.93, 95% CI: 0.81-0.96) and specificity (0.97, 95% CI: 0.85-1) than logistic regression (accuracy: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.73 - 0.95; specificity: 0.90, 95% CI: 0.75-0.97), but equal sensitivity (0.67, 95% CI: 0.24-0.94 and 0.22-0.96, respectively) for distinguishing patients with and without residual consciousness. The novel MRI-based score assessing brain lesions in patients with disorders of consciousness accurately detects patients with residual consciousness. It could complement valuably behavioral evaluation as it is time-efficient and requires only conventional MRI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Polona Pozeg
- Department of Radiology, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Jane Jöhr
- Neurology and Acute Neurorehabilitation Unit, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Alessandro Pincherle
- Neurology and Acute Neurorehabilitation Unit, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; Neurology Unit, Department of Medicine, Hopitaux Robert Schuman, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - Guillaume Marie
- Department of Radiology, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Philippe Ryvlin
- Neurology and Acute Neurorehabilitation Unit, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Reto Meuli
- Department of Radiology, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Patric Hagmann
- Department of Radiology, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Karin Diserens
- Neurology and Acute Neurorehabilitation Unit, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Vincent Dunet
- Department of Radiology, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
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Amemiya K, Naito E, Takemura H. Age dependency and lateralization in the three branches of the human superior longitudinal fasciculus. Cortex 2021; 139:116-133. [PMID: 33852990 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2021.02.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2020] [Revised: 01/28/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
The superior longitudinal fascicle/fasciculus (SLF) is a major white matter tract connecting the frontal and parietal cortices in humans. Although the SLF has often been analyzed as a single entity, several studies have reported that the SLF is segregated into three distinct branches (SLF I, II, and III). They have also reported the right lateralization of the SLF III volume and discussed its relationship with lateralized cortical functions in the fronto-parietal network. However, to date, the homogeneity or heterogeneity of the age dependency and lateralization properties of SLF branches have not been fully clarified. Through this study, we aimed to clarify the age dependency and lateralization of SLF I-III by analyzing diffusion-weighted MRI (dMRI) and quantitative R1 (qR1) map datasets collected from a wide range of age groups, mostly comprising right-handed children, adolescents, adults, and seniors (6 to 81 years old). The age dependency in dMRI measurement (fractional anisotropy, FA) was heterogeneous among the three SLF branches, suggesting that these branches are regulated by distinct developmental and aging processes. Lateralization analysis on SLF branches revealed that the right SLF III was larger than the left SLF III in adults, replicating previous reports. FA measurement also suggested that, in addition to SLF III, SLF II was lateralized to the right hemisphere in adolescents and adults. We further found a left lateralization of SLF I in qR1 data, a microstructural measurement sensitive to myelin levels, in adults. These findings suggest that the SLF sub-bundles are distinct entities in terms of age dependency and lateralization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaoru Amemiya
- Center for Information and Neural Networks (CiNet), National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Osaka University, Suita, Japan; Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Suita, Japan
| | - Eiichi Naito
- Center for Information and Neural Networks (CiNet), National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Osaka University, Suita, Japan; Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Suita, Japan
| | - Hiromasa Takemura
- Center for Information and Neural Networks (CiNet), National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Osaka University, Suita, Japan; Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Suita, Japan.
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Abstract
Lee and Schwartz procedures of separation offer a much needed interpretation of the literature on moral cleansing. However, body ownership as a grounded mechanism of separation and connection has been neglected. We argue that embodiment may be employed to connect the self to desirable aspects of cognitive and emotional interactions and disembodiment to disconnect from undesirable elements.
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Michael GA, Guyot D, Tarroux E, Comte M, Salgues S. Feeling Oneself Requires Embodiment: Insights From the Relationship Between Own-Body Transformations, Schizotypal Personality Traits, and Spontaneous Bodily Sensations. Front Psychol 2021; 11:578237. [PMID: 33424690 PMCID: PMC7786119 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.578237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Subtle bodily sensations such as itching or fluttering that occur in the absence of any external trigger (i.e., spontaneous sensations, or SPS) may serve to locate the spatial boundaries of the body. They may constitute the normal counterpart of extreme conditions in which body-related hallucinations and perceptual aberrations are experienced. Previous investigations have suggested that situations in which the body is spontaneously experienced as being deformed are related to the ability to perform own-body transformations, i.e., mental rotations of the body requiring disembodiment. We therefore decided to consider whether the perception of SPS might relate to embodiment as assessed through (i) the ability to perform own-body transformations (OBT task) and (ii) schizotypal traits (Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire, or SPQ), since high degrees of schizotypy in the general population have been associated with more vivid perceptions and aberrant perceptual experiences. Then participants completed a standard SPS task. Our analysis revealed that the slower the response time in the OBT task, the more frequent the perception of SPS. This suggests that difficulties in disembodying and mentally transforming one's own body facilitate feeling oneself. Furthermore, a greater number of correct responses in the OBT task was associated with less frequent perception of SPS. This suggests that finding it easier to disembody and perform mental own-body transformations interferes with the ability to sense oneself. The results also show that higher schizotypal traits, as assessed through the SPQ, are associated with more frequent perception of SPS. Taken together, these results provide a coherent picture and suggest that embodiment is required in order to correctly feel oneself, as expressed through the perception of SPS. The ability to easily experience disembodiment reduces the sense of feeling oneself, and proneness to schizotypal traits produces body misperceptions that enhance and amplify this feeling. The results are discussed in the light of current knowledge and theories about body representations, taking into account attention and interoception as factors that influence body awareness. We offer explanations for perceptual aberrations, body-related delusions, and hallucinations based on misperceived or misinterpreted SPS, and we discuss possible mechanisms that may contribute to feeling and misperceiving oneself.
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Affiliation(s)
- George A Michael
- University of Lyon, Lyon, France.,University Lyon 2, Laboratoire EMC (Cognitive Mechanisms Research Laboratory) (EA 3082), Lyon, France.,University Lyon 2, Institute of Psychology, Lyon, France
| | - Deborah Guyot
- University of Lyon, Lyon, France.,University Lyon 2, Laboratoire EMC (Cognitive Mechanisms Research Laboratory) (EA 3082), Lyon, France.,University Lyon 2, Institute of Psychology, Lyon, France
| | - Emilie Tarroux
- University of Lyon, Lyon, France.,University Lyon 2, Laboratoire EMC (Cognitive Mechanisms Research Laboratory) (EA 3082), Lyon, France.,University Lyon 2, Institute of Psychology, Lyon, France
| | - Mylène Comte
- University of Lyon, Lyon, France.,University Lyon 2, Laboratoire EMC (Cognitive Mechanisms Research Laboratory) (EA 3082), Lyon, France.,University Lyon 2, Institute of Psychology, Lyon, France
| | - Sara Salgues
- University of Lyon, Lyon, France.,University Lyon 2, Laboratoire EMC (Cognitive Mechanisms Research Laboratory) (EA 3082), Lyon, France.,University Lyon 2, Institute of Psychology, Lyon, France
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Virtual Body Ownership Illusions for Mental Health: A Narrative Review. J Clin Med 2021; 10:jcm10010139. [PMID: 33401596 PMCID: PMC7796179 DOI: 10.3390/jcm10010139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2020] [Revised: 12/21/2020] [Accepted: 12/23/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Over the last 20 years, virtual reality (VR) has been widely used to promote mental health in populations presenting different clinical conditions. Mental health does not refer only to the absence of psychiatric disorders but to the absence of a wide range of clinical conditions that influence people’s general and social well-being such as chronic pain, neurological disorders that lead to motor o perceptual impairments, psychological disorders that alter behaviour and social cognition, or physical conditions like eating disorders or present in amputees. It is known that an accurate perception of oneself and of the surrounding environment are both key elements to enjoy mental health and well-being, and that both can be distorted in patients suffering from the clinical conditions mentioned above. In the past few years, multiple studies have shown the effectiveness of VR to modulate such perceptual distortions of oneself and of the surrounding environment through virtual body ownership illusions. This narrative review aims to review clinical studies that have explored the manipulation of embodied virtual bodies in VR for improving mental health, and to discuss the current state of the art and the challenges for future research in the context of clinical care.
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Abstract
Previous studies have shown that after actively using a handheld tool for a period of time, participants show visual biases toward stimuli presented near the end of the tool. Research suggests this is driven by an incorporation of the tool into the observer's body schema, extending peripersonal space to surround the tool. This study aims to investigate whether the same visual biases might be seen near remotely operated tools. Participants used tools-a handheld rake (Experiment 1), a remote-controlled drone (Experiment 2), a remote-controlled excavator (Experiment 3), or a handheld excavator (Experiment 4)-to rake sand for several minutes, then performed a target-detection task in which they made speeded responses to targets appearing near and far from the tool. In Experiment 1, participants detected targets appearing near the rake significantly faster than targets appearing far from the rake, replicating previous findings. We failed to find strong evidence of improved target detection near remotely operated tools in Experiments 2 and 3, but found clear evidence of near-tool facilitation in Experiment 4 when participants physically picked up the excavator and used it as a handheld tool. These results suggest that observers may not incorporate remotely operated tools into the body schema in the same manner as handheld tools. We discuss potential mechanisms that may drive these differences in embodiment between handheld and remote-controlled tools.
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Fingelkurts AA, Fingelkurts AA, Kallio-Tamminen T. Selfhood triumvirate: From phenomenology to brain activity and back again. Conscious Cogn 2020; 86:103031. [DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2020.103031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2020] [Revised: 08/21/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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Chancel M, Ehrsson HH. Which hand is mine? Discriminating body ownership perception in a two-alternative forced-choice task. Atten Percept Psychophys 2020; 82:4058-4083. [PMID: 32856222 PMCID: PMC7593318 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-020-02107-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The experience of one's body as one's own is referred to as the sense of body ownership. This central part of human conscious experience determines the boundary between the self and the external environment, a crucial distinction in perception, action, and cognition. Although body ownership is known to involve the integration of signals from multiple sensory modalities, including vision, touch, and proprioception, little is known about the principles that determine this integration process, and the relationship between body ownership and perception is unclear. These uncertainties stem from the lack of a sensitive and rigorous method to quantify body ownership. Here, we describe a two-alternative forced-choice discrimination task that allows precise and direct measurement of body ownership as participants decide which of two rubber hands feels more like their own in a version of the rubber hand illusion. In two experiments, we show that the temporal and spatial congruence principles of multisensory stimulation, which determine ownership discrimination, impose tighter constraints than previously thought and that texture congruence constitutes an additional principle; these findings are compatible with theoretical models of multisensory integration. Taken together, our results suggest that body ownership constitutes a genuine perceptual multisensory phenomenon that can be quantified with psychophysics in discrimination experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Chancel
- Department of Neuroscience, Brain, Body and Self Laboratory, Karolinska Institute, SE-171 77, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - H Henrik Ehrsson
- Department of Neuroscience, Brain, Body and Self Laboratory, Karolinska Institute, SE-171 77, Stockholm, Sweden
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A Distorted Body Schema and Susceptibility to Experiencing Anomalous Somatosensory Sensations in Fibromyalgia Syndrome. Clin J Pain 2020; 35:887-893. [PMID: 31433318 DOI: 10.1097/ajp.0000000000000754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Evidence suggests that there is an association between chronic pain and disruption of the body schema. We tested the hypothesis in fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). MATERIALS AND METHODS We investigated distinct perceptual aspects of the body schema both in a sample of patients with FMS and in pain-free controls. Performances on the left/right judgment task were measured; tactile acuity was assessed by using the 2-point discrimination test. Furthermore, we evaluated sensations evoked by tactile stimulation with von Frey filaments to body parts that were experiencing pain. Anomalous sensations elicited by sensory-motor conflict (SMC) were also investigated. RESULTS Patients with FMS showed inferior performance on the right/left judgment task, both in terms of correct matches (75.38% vs. 89.67%, respectively; P<0.05) and response time (2.58 s vs. 1.89 s, respectively; P<0.05). Effect sizes were large and very large, respectively. Two-point discrimination thresholds were significantly higher (P<0.05) in participants from the FMS sample (mean of 49.71 mm, SD: 12.09 mm) relative to controls (mean of 37.36 mm, SD: 7.81 mm). Nine of 14 participants with FMS, but no control participants, reported referred sensations upon tactile stimulation, including tingling, pins and needles, weight, and cramps. Referral sites included regions both adjacent and remote to stimulated sites. Patients with FMS scored across all items within the administered questionnaire addressing anomalous sensations on the mirror setup (Cohen d=1.04 to 2.42 across all items), and FMS patients perceived pain during the SMC (the required statistical power for it to be statistically significant was 96% and for it to be recognized as a difference of means in pain item). CONCLUSION Our present findings suggest a disrupted body schema and propensity to experiencing anomalous somatosensory sensations during SMC in people with FMS.
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Kim CS, Jung M, Kim SY, Kim K. Controlling the Sense of Embodiment for Virtual Avatar Applications: Methods and Empirical Study. JMIR Serious Games 2020; 8:e21879. [PMID: 32960174 PMCID: PMC7539165 DOI: 10.2196/21879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2020] [Revised: 08/18/2020] [Accepted: 08/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The sense of embodiment (SoE) is the feeling of one's own body, and research on the SoE extends from the rubber hand illusion to the full-body ownership illusion with a virtual avatar. OBJECTIVE The key to utilizing a virtual avatar is understanding and controlling the SoE, and it can be extended to several medical applications. In this study, we aimed to clarify these aspects by considering the following three subcomponents of SoE: sense of agency, ownership, and self-location. METHODS We defined a human avatar (HA), point light avatar (PLA), and out-of-body point light avatar (OBPLA) and compared them in three user studies. In study 1, 28 participants were recruited and the three avatar conditions (HA, PLA, and OBPLA) were compared. In study 2, 29 new participants were recruited, and there were two avatar conditions (HA ad PLA) and two motion synchrony conditions (synchrony and asynchrony). In study 3, 29 other participants were recruited, and there were two avatar conditions (PLA and OBPLA) and two motion synchrony conditions (synchrony and asynchrony). Dependent measures included sense of agency, ownership, and self-location; emotional response; presence; and simulator sickness. RESULTS The findings of study 1 showed that the three avatar generation methodologies can control the sense of ownership and self-location in a stepwise manner while maintaining a high sense of agency. In studies 2 and 3, we found dependencies among the three subcomponents of SoE and observed that they affected users' subjective experiences. CONCLUSIONS Our findings may have implications for boosting the effects of virtual avatar applications in medical areas, by understanding and controlling the SoE with a full-body illusion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chang-Seop Kim
- Department of Computer Science, Hanyang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Myeongul Jung
- Department of Computer Science, Hanyang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - So-Yeon Kim
- Department of Psychology, Duksung Woman's University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Kwanguk Kim
- Department of Computer Science, Hanyang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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Assessment of cortical reorganization and preserved function in phantom limb pain: a methodological perspective. Sci Rep 2020; 10:11504. [PMID: 32661345 PMCID: PMC7359300 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-68206-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2019] [Accepted: 06/19/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Phantom limb pain (PLP) has been associated with reorganization in primary somatosensory cortex (S1) and preserved S1 function. Here we examined if methodological differences in the assessment of cortical representations might explain these findings. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging during a virtual reality movement task, analogous to the classical mirror box task, in twenty amputees with and without PLP and twenty matched healthy controls. We assessed the relationship between task-related activation maxima and PLP intensity in S1 and motor cortex (M1) in individually-defined or group-conjoint regions of interest (ROI) (overlap of task-related activation between the groups). We also measured cortical distances between both locations and correlated them with PLP intensity. Amputees compared to controls showed significantly increased activation in M1, S1 and S1M1 unrelated to PLP. Neural activity in M1 was positively related to PLP intensity in amputees with PLP when a group-conjoint ROI was chosen. The location of activation maxima differed between groups in S1 and M1. Cortical distance measures were unrelated to PLP. These findings suggest that sensory and motor maps differentially relate to PLP and that methodological differences might explain discrepant findings in the literature.
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50
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de Haan EH, Dijkerman HC. Somatosensation in the Brain: A Theoretical Re-evaluation and a New Model. Trends Cogn Sci 2020; 24:529-541. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2020.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2020] [Revised: 03/09/2020] [Accepted: 04/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
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