1
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Teraoka R, Kuroda N, Kojima R, Teramoto W. Comparison of peripersonal space in front and rear spaces. Exp Brain Res 2024:10.1007/s00221-024-06782-2. [PMID: 38319398 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-024-06782-2] [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: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
The space immediately around the body, referred to as the peripersonal space (PPS), plays a crucial role in interactions with external objects and in avoiding unsafe situations. This study aimed to investigate whether the size of the PPS changes depending on direction, with a particular focus on the disparity between the front and rear spaces. A vibrotactile stimulus was presented to measure PPS while a task-irrelevant auditory stimulus (probe) approached the participant. In addition, to evaluate the effect of the probe, a baseline condition was used in which only tactile stimuli were presented. The results showed that the auditory facilitation effect of the tactile stimulus was greater in the rear condition than in the front condition. Conversely, the performance on tasks related to auditory distance perception and sound speed estimation did not differ between the two directions, indicating that the difference in the auditory facilitation effect between directions cannot be explained by these factors. These findings indicate that the strength of audio-tactile integration is greater in the rear space compared to the front space, suggesting that the representation of the PPS differed between the front and rear spaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryo Teraoka
- Graduate School of Engineering, Muroran Institute of Technology, 27-1 Mizumoto-cho, Muroran, Hokkaido, 050-8585, Japan.
- Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (Psychology), Kumamoto University, 2-40-1 Kurokami, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto, 860-8555, Japan.
| | - Naoki Kuroda
- Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (Psychology), Kumamoto University, 2-40-1 Kurokami, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto, 860-8555, Japan
| | - Rinka Kojima
- Faculty of Letters, Kumamoto University, 2-40-1 Kurokami, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto, 860-8555, Japan
| | - Wataru Teramoto
- Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (Psychology), Kumamoto University, 2-40-1 Kurokami, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto, 860-8555, Japan
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2
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Loued-Khenissi L, Pfeiffer C, Saxena R, Adarsh S, Scaramuzza D. Microgravity induces overconfidence in perceptual decision-making. Sci Rep 2023; 13:9727. [PMID: 37322248 PMCID: PMC10272216 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-36775-0] [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] [Received: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Does gravity affect decision-making? This question comes into sharp focus as plans for interplanetary human space missions solidify. In the framework of Bayesian brain theories, gravity encapsulates a strong prior, anchoring agents to a reference frame via the vestibular system, informing their decisions and possibly their integration of uncertainty. What happens when such a strong prior is altered? We address this question using a self-motion estimation task in a space analog environment under conditions of altered gravity. Two participants were cast as remote drone operators orbiting Mars in a virtual reality environment on board a parabolic flight, where both hyper- and microgravity conditions were induced. From a first-person perspective, participants viewed a drone exiting a cave and had to first predict a collision and then provide a confidence estimate of their response. We evoked uncertainty in the task by manipulating the motion's trajectory angle. Post-decision subjective confidence reports were negatively predicted by stimulus uncertainty, as expected. Uncertainty alone did not impact overt behavioral responses (performance, choice) differentially across gravity conditions. However microgravity predicted higher subjective confidence, especially in interaction with stimulus uncertainty. These results suggest that variables relating to uncertainty affect decision-making distinctly in microgravity, highlighting the possible need for automatized, compensatory mechanisms when considering human factors in space research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leyla Loued-Khenissi
- Laboratory for Behavioral Neurology and Imaging of Cognition, Neuroscience Department, Medical School, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
- Neuro-X Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Geneva, Switzerland.
| | - Christian Pfeiffer
- Robotics and Perception Group, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Rupal Saxena
- Robotics and Perception Group, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Shivam Adarsh
- Robotics and Perception Group, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Davide Scaramuzza
- Robotics and Perception Group, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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3
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The relationship between action, social and multisensory spaces. Sci Rep 2023; 13:202. [PMID: 36604525 PMCID: PMC9814785 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-27514-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Several spaces around the body have been described, contributing to interactions with objects (peripersonal) or people (interpersonal and personal). The sensorimotor and multisensory properties of action peripersonal space are assumed to be involved in the regulation of social personal and interpersonal spaces, but experimental evidence is tenuous. Hence, the present study investigated the relationship between multisensory integration and action and social spaces. Participants indicated when an approaching social or non-social stimulus was reachable by hand (reachable space), at a comfortable distance to interact with (interpersonal space), or at a distance beginning to cause discomfort (personal space). They also responded to a tactile stimulation delivered on the trunk during the approach of the visual stimulus (multisensory integration space). Results showed that participants were most comfortable with stimuli outside reachable space, and felt uncomfortable with stimuli well inside it. Furthermore, reachable, personal and interpersonal spaces were all positively correlated. Multisensory integration space extended beyond all other spaces and correlated only with personal space when facing a social stimulus. Considered together, these data confirm that action peripersonal space contributes to the regulation of social spaces and that multisensory integration is not specifically constrained by the spaces underlying motor action and social interactions.
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4
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Fritzsch B, Elliott KL, Yamoah EN. Neurosensory development of the four brainstem-projecting sensory systems and their integration in the telencephalon. Front Neural Circuits 2022; 16:913480. [PMID: 36213204 PMCID: PMC9539932 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2022.913480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Somatosensory, taste, vestibular, and auditory information is first processed in the brainstem. From the brainstem, the respective information is relayed to specific regions within the cortex, where these inputs are further processed and integrated with other sensory systems to provide a comprehensive sensory experience. We provide the organization, genetics, and various neuronal connections of four sensory systems: trigeminal, taste, vestibular, and auditory systems. The development of trigeminal fibers is comparable to many sensory systems, for they project mostly contralaterally from the brainstem or spinal cord to the telencephalon. Taste bud information is primarily projected ipsilaterally through the thalamus to reach the insula. The vestibular fibers develop bilateral connections that eventually reach multiple areas of the cortex to provide a complex map. The auditory fibers project in a tonotopic contour to the auditory cortex. The spatial and tonotopic organization of trigeminal and auditory neuron projections are distinct from the taste and vestibular systems. The individual sensory projections within the cortex provide multi-sensory integration in the telencephalon that depends on context-dependent tertiary connections to integrate other cortical sensory systems across the four modalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernd Fritzsch
- Department of Biology, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States
- Department of Otolaryngology, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States
- *Correspondence: Bernd Fritzsch,
| | - Karen L. Elliott
- Department of Biology, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States
| | - Ebenezer N. Yamoah
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, United States
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5
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Peripersonal Space from a multisensory perspective: the distinct effect of the visual and tactile components of Visuo-Tactile stimuli. Exp Brain Res 2022; 240:1205-1217. [PMID: 35178603 PMCID: PMC9015983 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-022-06324-8] [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: 07/30/2021] [Accepted: 02/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Peripersonal Space (PPS) is defined as the space close to the body where all interactions between the individual and the environment take place. Behavioural experiments on PPS exploit multisensory integration, using Multisensory Visuo-Tactile stimuli (MVT), whose visual and tactile components target the same body part (i.e. the face, the hand, the foot). However, the effects of visual and tactile stimuli targeting different body parts on PPS representation are unknown, and the relationship with the RTs for Tactile-Only stimuli is unclear. In this study, we addressed two research questions: (1) if the MVT-RTs are independent of Tactile-Only-RTs and if the latter is influenced by time-dependency effects, and (2) if PPS estimations derived from MVT-RTs depend on the location of the Visual or Tactile component of MVTs. We studied 40 right-handed participants, manipulating the body location (right hand, cheek or foot) and the distance of administration. Visual and Tactile components targeted different or the same body parts and were delivered respectively at five distances. RTs to Tactile-Only trials showed a non-monotonic trend, depending on the delay of stimulus administration. Moreover, RTs to Multisensory Visuo-Tactile trials were found to be dependent on the Distance and location of the Visual component of the stimulus. In conclusion, our results show that Tactile-Only RTs should be removed from Visuo-Tactile RTs and that the Visual and Tactile components of Visuo-Tactile stimuli do not necessarily have to target the same body part. These results have a relevant impact on the study of PPS representations, providing new important methodological information.
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6
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Kuroda N, Teramoto W. Contribution of motor and proprioceptive information to visuotactile interaction in peripersonal space during bike riding. Exp Brain Res 2021; 240:491-501. [PMID: 34800141 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-021-06269-4] [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] [Received: 03/18/2021] [Accepted: 11/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The space immediately around the body, known as the peripersonal space (PPS), plays an important role in interactions with the environment. Specific representations are reported to be constructed in the brain. PPS expansion reportedly occurs during whole-body self-motions, such as walking; however, little is known regarding how dynamic cues in proprioceptive/motor information contribute to such phenomena. Thus, we investigated this issue using a pedaling bike situation. We defined PPS as the maximum distance at which a visual probe facilitated tactile detection at the chest. Experiment 1 compared two conditions where participants did or did not pedal the bike at a constant speed while observing an optic flow that simulated forward self-motion (pedaling and no pedaling). Experiment 2 investigated the effect of pedal resistances (high and low) while presenting the same optic flow as in Experiment 1. The results revealed that the reaction time (RT) difference (probe RT - baseline RT) was larger for the pedaling than for the no-pedaling condition. However, pedal resistance differences hardly affected the visuotactile interaction, although the participants clearly experienced differences in force. These results suggest that proprioceptive/motor cues can contribute to the modulation of PPS representation, but dynamic information included in these cues may have little influence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naoki Kuroda
- Graduate School of Social and Cultural Sciences, Kumamoto University, 2-40-1 Kurokami, Kumamoto, 860-8555, Japan.
| | - Wataru Teramoto
- Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Kumamoto University, 2-40-1 Kurokami, Kumamoto, 860-8555, Japan
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Bogdanova OV, Bogdanov VB, Dureux A, Farnè A, Hadj-Bouziane F. The Peripersonal Space in a social world. Cortex 2021; 142:28-46. [PMID: 34174722 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2021.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2020] [Revised: 02/27/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The PeriPersonal Space (PPS) has been defined as the space surrounding the body, where physical interactions with elements of the environment take place. As our world is social in nature, recent evidence revealed the complex modulation of social factors onto PPS representation. In light of the growing interest in the field, in this review we take a close look at the experimental approaches undertaken to assess the impact of social factors onto PPS representation. Our social world also influences the personal space (PS), a concept stemming from social psychology, defined as the space we keep between us and others to avoid discomfort. Here we analytically compare PPS and PS with the aim of understanding if and how they relate to each other. At the behavioral level, the multiplicity of experimental methodologies, whether well-established or novel, lead to somewhat divergent results and interpretations. Beyond behavior, we review physiological and neural signatures of PPS representation to discuss how interoceptive signals could contribute to PPS representation, as well as how these internal signals could shape the neural responses of PPS representation. In particular, by merging exteroceptive information from the environment and internal signals that come from the body, PPS may promote an integrated representation of the self, as distinct from the environment and the others. We put forward that integrating internal and external signals in the brain for perception of proximal environmental stimuli may also provide us with a better understanding of the processes at play during social interactions. Adopting such an integrative stance may offer novel insights about PPS representation in a social world. Finally, we discuss possible links between PPS research and social cognition, a link that may contribute to the understanding of intentions and feelings of others around us and promote appropriate social interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olena V Bogdanova
- Integrative Multisensory Perception Action & Cognition Team (Impact), INSERM U1028, CNRS UMR5292, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center (CRNL), Lyon, France; University of Lyon 1, France; INCIA, UMR 5287, CNRS, Université de Bordeaux, France.
| | - Volodymyr B Bogdanov
- Integrative Multisensory Perception Action & Cognition Team (Impact), INSERM U1028, CNRS UMR5292, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center (CRNL), Lyon, France; University of Lyon 1, France; Ecole Nationale des Travaux Publics de l'Etat, Laboratoire Génie Civil et Bâtiment, Vaulx-en-Velin, France
| | - Audrey Dureux
- Integrative Multisensory Perception Action & Cognition Team (Impact), INSERM U1028, CNRS UMR5292, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center (CRNL), Lyon, France; University of Lyon 1, France
| | - Alessandro Farnè
- Integrative Multisensory Perception Action & Cognition Team (Impact), INSERM U1028, CNRS UMR5292, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center (CRNL), Lyon, France; University of Lyon 1, France; Hospices Civils de Lyon, Neuro-Immersion Platform, Lyon, France; Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC), University of Trento, Italy
| | - Fadila Hadj-Bouziane
- Integrative Multisensory Perception Action & Cognition Team (Impact), INSERM U1028, CNRS UMR5292, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center (CRNL), Lyon, France; University of Lyon 1, France.
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8
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Peripersonal space in the front, rear, left and right directions for audio-tactile multisensory integration. Sci Rep 2021; 11:11303. [PMID: 34050213 PMCID: PMC8163804 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-90784-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Peripersonal space (PPS) is important for humans to perform body–environment interactions. However, many previous studies only focused on the specific direction of the PPS, such as the front space, despite suggesting that there were PPSs in all directions. We aimed to measure and compare the peri-trunk PPS in four directions (front, rear, left, and right). To measure the PPS, we used a tactile and an audio stimulus because auditory information is available at any time in all directions. We used the approaching and receding task-irrelevant sounds in the experiment. Observers were asked to respond as quickly as possible when a tactile stimulus was applied to a vibrator on their chest. We found that peri-trunk PPS representations exist with an approaching sound, irrespective of the direction.
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Masson C, van der Westhuizen D, Noel JP, Prevost A, van Honk J, Fotopoulou A, Solms M, Serino A. Testosterone administration in women increases the size of their peripersonal space. Exp Brain Res 2021; 239:1639-1649. [PMID: 33770219 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-021-06080-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Peripersonal space (PPS) is the space immediately surrounding the body, conceptualised as a sensory-motor interface between body and environment. PPS size differs between individuals and contexts, with intrapersonal traits and states, as well as social factors having a determining role on the size of PPS. Testosterone plays an important role in regulating social-motivational behaviour and is known to enhance dominance motivation in an implicit and unconscious manner. We investigated whether the dominance-enhancing effects of testosterone reflect as changes in the representation of PPS in a within-subjects testosterone administration study in women (N = 19). Participants performed a visuo-tactile integration task in a mixed-reality setup. Results indicated that the administration of testosterone caused a significant enlargement of participants' PPS, suggesting that testosterone caused participants to implicitly appropriate a larger space as their own. These findings suggest that the dominance-enhancing effects of testosterone reflect at the level of sensory-motor processing in PPS.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jean-Paul Noel
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, USA
| | | | - Jack van Honk
- University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.,Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | | | - Mark Solms
- University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Andrea Serino
- MySpace Lab, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Center Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV), University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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10
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Rabellino D, Frewen PA, McKinnon MC, Lanius RA. Peripersonal Space and Bodily Self-Consciousness: Implications for Psychological Trauma-Related Disorders. Front Neurosci 2020; 14:586605. [PMID: 33362457 PMCID: PMC7758430 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.586605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Peripersonal space (PPS) is defined as the space surrounding the body where we can reach or be reached by external entities, including objects or other individuals. PPS is an essential component of bodily self-consciousness that allows us to perform actions in the world (e.g., grasping and manipulating objects) and protect our body while interacting with the surrounding environment. Multisensory processing plays a critical role in PPS representation, facilitating not only to situate ourselves in space but also assisting in the localization of external entities at a close distance from our bodies. Such abilities appear especially crucial when an external entity (a sound, an object, or a person) is approaching us, thereby allowing the assessment of the salience of a potential incoming threat. Accordingly, PPS represents a key aspect of social cognitive processes operational when we interact with other people (for example, in a dynamic dyad). The underpinnings of PPS have been investigated largely in human models and in animals and include the operation of dedicated multimodal neurons (neurons that respond specifically to co-occurring stimuli from different perceptive modalities, e.g., auditory and tactile stimuli) within brain regions involved in sensorimotor processing (ventral intraparietal sulcus, ventral premotor cortex), interoception (insula), and visual recognition (lateral occipital cortex). Although the defensive role of the PPS has been observed in psychopathology (e.g., in phobias) the relation between PPS and altered states of bodily consciousness remains largely unexplored. Specifically, PPS representation in trauma-related disorders, where altered states of consciousness can involve dissociation from the body and its surroundings, have not been investigated. Accordingly, we review here: (1) the behavioral and neurobiological literature surrounding trauma-related disorders and its relevance to PPS; and (2) outline future research directions aimed at examining altered states of bodily self-consciousness in trauma related-disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Rabellino
- Department of Psychiatry, Western University, London, ON, Canada.,Imaging Division, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, ON, Canada
| | - Paul A Frewen
- Department of Psychiatry, Western University, London, ON, Canada.,Department of Psychology, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Margaret C McKinnon
- Mood Disorders Program, St. Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton, ON, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.,Homewood Research Institute, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - Ruth A Lanius
- Department of Psychiatry, Western University, London, ON, Canada.,Imaging Division, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, ON, Canada
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11
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Kuroda N, Teramoto W. Expansion of space for visuotactile interaction during visually induced self-motion. Exp Brain Res 2020; 239:257-265. [PMID: 33146747 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-020-05966-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2019] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Peripersonal space (PPS), which refers to space immediately around an individual's body, plays an important role in interacting with external objects and avoiding unsafe situations. Studies suggest that, during self-motion perception, PPS expands in the direction in which a person perceives himself/herself to be traveling. In the present study, we built on this by investigating, using visually induced self-motion (vection), how visual self-motion information modulates PPS representation. In our experiment, large-field visual motion was presented through a head-mounted display that caused observers to perceive themselves as moving forward in a tunnel (LF condition). To clarify the effects of self-motion information, we compared the findings for this condition with those of another condition, in which small-field visual motion was presented; here, only the central visual field represented motion, which caused the observers to perceive relatively little self-motion (SF condition). Two speeds were tested for both conditions: 1.5 m/s and 6.0 m/s. For measurement, we used a visuotactile-interaction task in which participants, while observing a visual probe object approaching from various distances, were instructed to press a response key as soon as they detected tactile stimuli delivered to their chest. We measured the distance at which the visual approaching probe object facilitated tactile detection (visual-facilitation effect); this was determined through comparisons with trials when no probe was presented. The results showed that the visual facilitation effects were observed for larger distance in the LF than SF conditions, irrespective of tested speeds. These results suggest that visual self-motion information can modulate PPS representation. This finding fits well with the view that PPS representation contributes to protecting the body from potential threats in the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naoki Kuroda
- Graduate School of Social and Cultural Sciences, Kumamoto University, 2-40-1 Kurokami, Kumamoto, 860-8555, Japan.
| | - Wataru Teramoto
- Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Kumamoto University, 2-40-1 Kurokami, Kumamoto, 860-8555, Japan
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12
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Noel JP, Failla MD, Quinde-Zlibut JM, Williams ZJ, Gerdes M, Tracy JM, Zoltowski AR, Foss-Feig JH, Nichols H, Armstrong K, Heckers SH, Blake RR, Wallace MT, Park S, Cascio CJ. Visual-Tactile Spatial Multisensory Interaction in Adults With Autism and Schizophrenia. Front Psychiatry 2020; 11:578401. [PMID: 33192716 PMCID: PMC7644602 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.578401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2020] [Accepted: 09/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and schizophrenia (SZ) exhibit multisensory processing difficulties and social impairments, with growing evidence that the former contributes to the latter. However, this work has largely reported on separate cohorts, introducing method variance as a barrier to drawing broad conclusions across studies. Further, very few studies have addressed touch, resulting in sparse knowledge about how these two clinical groups may integrate somatic information with other senses. Methods: In this study, we compared adults with ASD (n = 29), SZ (n = 24), and typical developmental histories (TD, n = 37) on two tasks requiring visual-tactile spatial multisensory processing. In the first task (crossmodal congruency), participants judged the location of a tactile stimulus in the presence or absence of simultaneous visual input that was either spatially congruent or incongruent, with poorer performance for incongruence an index of spatial multisensory interaction. In the second task, participants reacted to touch in the presence or absence of dynamic visual stimuli that appeared to approach or recede from the body. Within a certain radius around the body, defined as peripersonal space (PPS), an approaching visual or auditory stimulus reliably speeds reaction times (RT) to touch; outside of this radius, in extrapersonal space (EPS), there is no multisensory effect. PPS can be defined both by its size (radius) and slope (sharpness of the PPS-EPS boundary). Clinical measures were administered to explore relations with visual-tactile processing. Results: Neither clinical group differed from controls on the crossmodal congruency task. The ASD group had significantly smaller and more sharply-defined PPSs compared to the other two groups. Small PPS size was related to social symptom severity across groups, but was largely driven by the TD group, without significant effects in either clinical group. Conclusions: These results suggest that: (1) spatially static visual-tactile facilitation is intact in adults with ASD and SZ, (2) spatially dynamic visual-tactile facilitation impacting perception of the body boundary is affected in ASD but not SZ, and (3) body boundary perception is related to social-emotional function, but not in a way that maps on to clinical status.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Paul Noel
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Michelle D. Failla
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
| | | | - Zachary J. Williams
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Madison Gerdes
- School of Criminology and Justice Policty, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States
| | | | - Alisa R. Zoltowski
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Jennifer H. Foss-Feig
- Department of Psychiatry and Seaver Center for Autism Research, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, NY, United States
| | - Heathman Nichols
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Kristan Armstrong
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Stephan H. Heckers
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Randolph R. Blake
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Mark T. Wallace
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States
- Vanderbilt Frist Center for Autism and Innovation, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Sohee Park
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Carissa J. Cascio
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States
- Vanderbilt Frist Center for Autism and Innovation, Nashville, TN, United States
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13
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Noel JP, Bertoni T, Terrebonne E, Pellencin E, Herbelin B, Cascio C, Blanke O, Magosso E, Wallace MT, Serino A. Rapid Recalibration of Peri-Personal Space: Psychophysical, Electrophysiological, and Neural Network Modeling Evidence. Cereb Cortex 2020; 30:5088-5106. [PMID: 32377673 PMCID: PMC7391419 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhaa103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2020] [Revised: 03/27/2020] [Accepted: 03/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Interactions between individuals and the environment occur within the peri-personal space (PPS). The encoding of this space plastically adapts to bodily constraints and stimuli features. However, these remapping effects have not been demonstrated on an adaptive time-scale, trial-to-trial. Here, we test this idea first via a visuo-tactile reaction time (RT) paradigm in augmented reality where participants are asked to respond as fast as possible to touch, as visual objects approach them. Results demonstrate that RTs to touch are facilitated as a function of visual proximity, and the sigmoidal function describing this facilitation shifts closer to the body if the immediately precedent trial had indexed a smaller visuo-tactile disparity. Next, we derive the electroencephalographic correlates of PPS and demonstrate that this multisensory measure is equally shaped by recent sensory history. Finally, we demonstrate that a validated neural network model of PPS is able to account for the present results via a simple Hebbian plasticity rule. The present findings suggest that PPS encoding remaps on a very rapid time-scale and, more generally, that it is sensitive to sensory history, a key feature for any process contextualizing subsequent incoming sensory information (e.g., a Bayesian prior).
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Paul Noel
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical School, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical School, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York City, NY 10003, USA
| | - Tommaso Bertoni
- MySpace Lab, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University Hospital of Lausanne, University of Lausanne, Lausanne CH-1011, Switzerland
| | - Emily Terrebonne
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical School, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
| | - Elisa Pellencin
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Rovereto, Trento 38068, Italy
| | - Bruno Herbelin
- Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Brain Mind Institute, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, Lausanne CH-1015, Switzerland
- Center for Neuroprosthetics, Campus BioTech, Geneva CH-1202, Switzerland
| | - Carissa Cascio
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical School, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medial Center, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
| | - Olaf Blanke
- Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Brain Mind Institute, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, Lausanne CH-1015, Switzerland
- Center for Neuroprosthetics, Campus BioTech, Geneva CH-1202, Switzerland
| | - Elisa Magosso
- Department of Electrical, Electronic, and Information Engineering ``Guglielmo Marconi'', University of Bologna, Cesena 40126, Italy
| | - Mark T Wallace
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical School, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medial Center, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
| | - Andrea Serino
- MySpace Lab, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University Hospital of Lausanne, University of Lausanne, Lausanne CH-1011, Switzerland
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14
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Holmes NP, Martin D, Mitchell W, Noorani Z, Thorne A. Do sounds near the hand facilitate tactile reaction times? Four experiments and a meta-analysis provide mixed support and suggest a small effect size. Exp Brain Res 2020; 238:995-1009. [PMID: 32193585 PMCID: PMC7181441 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-020-05771-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2019] [Accepted: 03/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
The brain represents the space immediately surrounding the body differently to more distant parts of space. Direct evidence for this ‘peripersonal space’ representation comes from neurophysiological studies in monkeys, which show distance-dependent responses to visual stimuli in neurons with spatially coincident tactile responses. Most evidence for peripersonal space in humans is indirect: spatial- and distance-dependent modulations of reaction times and error rates in behavioural tasks. In one task often used to assess peripersonal space, sounds near the body have been argued to speed reactions to tactile stimuli. We conducted four experiments attempting to measure this distance-dependent audiotactile interaction. We found no distance-dependent enhancement of tactile processing in error rates or task performance, but found some evidence for a general speeding of reaction times by 9.5 ms when sounds were presented near the hand. A systematic review revealed an overestimation of reported effect sizes, lack of control conditions, a wide variety of methods, post hoc removal of data, and flexible methods of data analysis. After correcting for the speed of sound, removing biased or inconclusive studies, correcting for temporal expectancy, and using the trim-and-fill method to correct for publication bias, meta-analysis revealed an overall benefit of 15.2 ms when tactile stimuli are accompanied by near sounds compared to sounds further away. While this effect may be due to peripersonal space, response probability and the number of trials per condition explained significant proportions of variance in this near versus far benefit. These confounds need to be addressed, and alternative explanations ruled out by future, ideally pre-registered, studies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Dennis Martin
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, RG6 6AL, UK
| | - William Mitchell
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, RG6 6AL, UK
| | - Zeeshan Noorani
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, RG6 6AL, UK
| | - Amber Thorne
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, RG6 6AL, UK
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15
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Bernasconi F, Noel JP, Park HD, Faivre N, Seeck M, Spinelli L, Schaller K, Blanke O, Serino A. Audio-Tactile and Peripersonal Space Processing Around the Trunk in Human Parietal and Temporal Cortex: An Intracranial EEG Study. Cereb Cortex 2019; 28:3385-3397. [PMID: 30010843 PMCID: PMC6095214 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhy156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2018] [Accepted: 06/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Interactions with the environment happen within one’s peripersonal space (PPS)—the space surrounding the body. Studies in monkeys and humans have highlighted a multisensory distributed cortical network representing the PPS. However, knowledge about the temporal dynamics of PPS processing around the trunk is lacking. Here, we recorded intracranial electroencephalography (iEEG) in humans while administering tactile stimulation (T), approaching auditory stimuli (A), and the 2 combined (AT). To map PPS, tactile stimulation was delivered when the sound was far, intermediate, or close to the body. The 19% of the electrodes showed AT multisensory integration. Among those, 30% showed a PPS effect, a modulation of the response as a function of the distance between the sound and body. AT multisensory integration and PPS effects had similar spatiotemporal characteristics, with an early response (~50 ms) in the insular cortex, and later responses (~200 ms) in precentral and postcentral gyri. Superior temporal cortex showed a different response pattern with AT multisensory integration at ~100 ms without a PPS effect. These results, represent the first iEEG delineation of PPS processing in humans and show that PPS and multisensory integration happen at similar neural sites and time periods, suggesting that PPS representation is based on a spatial modulation of multisensory integration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fosco Bernasconi
- Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Brain Mind Institute, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne), Geneva, Switzerland.,Center for Neuroprosthetics, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Jean-Paul Noel
- Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Brain Mind Institute, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne), Geneva, Switzerland.,Neuroscience Graduate Program, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, USA.,Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, USA
| | - Hyeong Dong Park
- Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Brain Mind Institute, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne), Geneva, Switzerland.,Center for Neuroprosthetics, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Nathan Faivre
- Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Brain Mind Institute, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne), Geneva, Switzerland.,Center for Neuroprosthetics, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Geneva, Switzerland.,Centre d'Economie de la Sorbonne, CNRS UMR 8174, Paris, France
| | - Margitta Seeck
- Presurgical Epilepsy Evaluation Unit, Neurology Department, University Hospital of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Laurent Spinelli
- Presurgical Epilepsy Evaluation Unit, Neurology Department, University Hospital of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Karl Schaller
- Department of Neurosurgery, Geneva University Hospital (HUG), 4 Rue Gabrielle-Perret-Gentil, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Olaf Blanke
- Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Brain Mind Institute, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne), Geneva, Switzerland.,Center for Neuroprosthetics, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Geneva, Switzerland.,Centre d'Economie de la Sorbonne, CNRS UMR 8174, Paris, France
| | - Andrea Serino
- Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Brain Mind Institute, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne), Geneva, Switzerland.,Center for Neuroprosthetics, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Geneva, Switzerland.,MySpace Lab, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV), University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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16
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Vergallito A, Lo Gerfo E, Varoli E, Brambilla M, Sacchi S, Anzani S, Romero Lauro LJ. Positive self-perception and corticospinal excitability: Recalling positive behavior expands peripersonal space boundaries. Neuropsychologia 2019; 135:107224. [PMID: 31604069 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2019.107224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2019] [Revised: 10/03/2019] [Accepted: 10/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Converging evidence suggests that peripersonal space has dynamic properties, that can be influenced by motor and cognitive factors. Here, we investigated whether changes in self-perception may impact upon peripersonal representation. Specifically, employing non-invasive brain stimulation, we tested whether corticospinal excitability elicited by objects placed in the vertical peripersonal vs extrapersonal space can be influenced by changes in self-perception after recalling a personal experience inducing the feeling of high power (vs. positivity vs. low power). In a preliminary study (Study 1, N = 39) participants were presented with an object, whose position was manipulated in the horizontal vs vertical space. We assessed corticospinal excitability by measuring Motor Evoked Potentials (MEPs) using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation with Electromyography co-registration (TMS-EMG). In the horizontal condition, we replicated the well-known motor facilitation induced by objects falling in the peri vs extrapersonal space, while in the vertical dimension MEPs were higher in the extrapersonal space. In the main experiment (Study 2), participants (N = 55) were randomly assigned to feel high power, low power, or a general positive emotion and were asked to observe the same object positioned either in the peripersonal or in the extrapersonal vertical space. Results showed that in the low power condition MEPs were higher in the extrapersonal vs peripersonal, as in Study 1, while in high power and positive conditions MEPs were not influenced by distance. Taken together, our findings suggest a dissociable pattern of motor facilitation underlying vertical vs horizontal space perception and, crucially, that changes in self-perception can influence such a representation.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Vergallito
- University of Milano Bicocca, Department of Psychology, Italy
| | - E Lo Gerfo
- Clinical Psychology Service of Mediterranean Institute for Transplantation and Advanced Specialized Therapies (IRCSS IsMeTT) Palermo, Italy; NeuroMI - Milan Center for Neuroscience, Italy
| | - E Varoli
- Clinical Psychology Service of Mediterranean Institute for Transplantation and Advanced Specialized Therapies (IRCSS IsMeTT) Palermo, Italy; University of Milano Bicocca, Department of Medicine and Surgery, Italy
| | - M Brambilla
- University of Milano Bicocca, Department of Psychology, Italy
| | - S Sacchi
- University of Milano Bicocca, Department of Psychology, Italy
| | - S Anzani
- University of Chieti-Pescara "G. D'Annunzio", Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, Italy
| | - L J Romero Lauro
- University of Milano Bicocca, Department of Psychology, Italy; NeuroMI - Milan Center for Neuroscience, Italy.
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17
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Amemiya T, Ikei Y, Kitazaki M. Remapping Peripersonal Space by Using Foot-Sole Vibrations Without Any Body Movement. Psychol Sci 2019; 30:1522-1532. [PMID: 31545929 DOI: 10.1177/0956797619869337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The limited space immediately surrounding our body, known as peripersonal space (PPS), has been investigated by focusing on changes in the multisensory processing of audio-tactile stimuli occurring within or outside the PPS. Some studies have reported that the PPS representation is extended by body actions such as walking. However, it is unclear whether the PPS changes when a walking-like sensation is induced but the body neither moves nor is forced to move. Here, we show that a rhythmic pattern consisting of walking-sound vibrations applied to the soles of the feet, but not the forearms, boosted tactile processing when looming sounds were located near the body. The findings suggest that an extension of the PPS representation can be triggered by stimulating the soles in the absence of body action, which may automatically drive a motor program for walking, leading to a change in spatial cognition around the body.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomohiro Amemiya
- Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo.,Virtual Reality Educational Research Center, The University of Tokyo.,NTT Communication Science Laboratories, NTT Corporation, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Yasushi Ikei
- Faculty of Systems Design, Tokyo Metropolitan University
| | - Michiteru Kitazaki
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology
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18
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Noel JP, Serino A, Wallace MT. Increased Neural Strength and Reliability to Audiovisual Stimuli at the Boundary of Peripersonal Space. J Cogn Neurosci 2019; 31:1155-1172. [DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
The actionable space surrounding the body, referred to as peripersonal space (PPS), has been the subject of significant interest of late within the broader framework of embodied cognition. Neurophysiological and neuroimaging studies have shown the representation of PPS to be built from visuotactile and audiotactile neurons within a frontoparietal network and whose activity is modulated by the presence of stimuli in proximity to the body. In contrast to single-unit and fMRI studies, an area of inquiry that has received little attention is the EEG characterization associated with PPS processing. Furthermore, although PPS is encoded by multisensory neurons, to date there has been no EEG study systematically examining neural responses to unisensory and multisensory stimuli, as these are presented outside, near, and within the boundary of PPS. Similarly, it remains poorly understood whether multisensory integration is generally more likely at certain spatial locations (e.g., near the body) or whether the cross-modal tactile facilitation that occurs within PPS is simply due to a reduction in the distance between sensory stimuli when close to the body and in line with the spatial principle of multisensory integration. In the current study, to examine the neural dynamics of multisensory processing within and beyond the PPS boundary, we present auditory, visual, and audiovisual stimuli at various distances relative to participants' reaching limit—an approximation of PPS—while recording continuous high-density EEG. We question whether multisensory (vs. unisensory) processing varies as a function of stimulus–observer distance. Results demonstrate a significant increase of global field power (i.e., overall strength of response across the entire electrode montage) for stimuli presented at the PPS boundary—an increase that is largest under multisensory (i.e., audiovisual) conditions. Source localization of the major contributors to this global field power difference suggests neural generators in the intraparietal sulcus and insular cortex, hubs for visuotactile and audiotactile PPS processing. Furthermore, when neural dynamics are examined in more detail, changes in the reliability of evoked potentials in centroparietal electrodes are predictive on a subject-by-subject basis of the later changes in estimated current strength at the intraparietal sulcus linked to stimulus proximity to the PPS boundary. Together, these results provide a previously unrealized view into the neural dynamics and temporal code associated with the encoding of nontactile multisensory around the PPS boundary.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andrea Serino
- University of Lausanne
- Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne
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19
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Noel JP, Chatelle C, Perdikis S, Jöhr J, Lopes Da Silva M, Ryvlin P, De Lucia M, Millán JDR, Diserens K, Serino A. Peri-personal space encoding in patients with disorders of consciousness and cognitive-motor dissociation. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2019; 24:101940. [PMID: 31357147 PMCID: PMC6664240 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2019.101940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2019] [Revised: 07/13/2019] [Accepted: 07/17/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Behavioral assessments of consciousness based on overt command following cannot differentiate patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC) from those who demonstrate a dissociation between intent/awareness and motor capacity: cognitive motor dissociation (CMD). We argue that delineation of peri-personal space (PPS) – the multisensory-motor space immediately surrounding the body – may differentiate these patients due to its central role in mediating human-environment interactions, and putatively in scaffolding a minimal form of selfhood. In Experiment 1, we determined a normative physiological index of PPS by recording electrophysiological (EEG) responses to tactile, auditory, or audio-tactile stimulation at different distances (5 vs. 75 cm) in healthy volunteers (N = 19). Contrasts between paired (AT) and summed (A + T) responses demonstrated multisensory supra-additivity when AT stimuli were presented near, i.e., within the PPS, and highlighted somatosensory-motor sensors as electrodes of interest. In Experiment 2, we recorded EEG in patients behaviorally diagnosed as DOC or putative CMD (N = 17, 30 sessions). The PPS-measure developed in Experiment 1 was analyzed in relation with both standard clinical diagnosis (i.e., Coma Recovery Scale; CRS-R) and a measure of neural complexity associated with consciousness. Results demonstrated a significant correlation between the PPS measure and neural complexity, but not with the CRS-R, highlighting the added value of the physiological recordings. Further, multisensory processing in PPS was preserved in putative CMD but not in DOC patients. Together, the findings suggest that indexing PPS allows differentiating between groups of patients whom both show overt motor impairments (DOC and CMD) but putatively distinct levels of awareness or motor intent. Behavioral assessments confound consciousness and motor output. We suggest that multisensory coding of actionable space may dissociate these two. We develop an electrophysiological marker of peri-personal space. Then use this marker to distinguish impairments in consciousness and motor output.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Paul Noel
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Camille Chatelle
- Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Coma Science Group, GIGA Consciousness, University and University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Serafeim Perdikis
- Center for Neuroprosthetics, School of Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), Geneva, Switzerland; Brain-Computer Interfaces and Neural Engineering Laboratory, School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering, University of Essex, UK
| | - Jane Jöhr
- Acute Neurorehabilitation Unit, Neurology, Department of and Clinical Neurosciences, University Hospital of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Marina Lopes Da Silva
- Acute Neurorehabilitation Unit, Neurology, Department of and Clinical Neurosciences, University Hospital of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Philippe Ryvlin
- Acute Neurorehabilitation Unit, Neurology, Department of and Clinical Neurosciences, University Hospital of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Marzia De Lucia
- Laboratoire de Recherche en Neuroimagerie, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University Hospital of Lausanne, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - José Del R Millán
- Center for Neuroprosthetics, School of Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Karin Diserens
- Acute Neurorehabilitation Unit, Neurology, Department of and Clinical Neurosciences, University Hospital of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Andrea Serino
- MySpace Lab, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University Hospital of Lausanne, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
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20
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Sensori-motor adaptation to novel limb dynamics influences the representation of peripersonal space. Neuropsychologia 2019; 131:193-204. [PMID: 31091426 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2019.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2018] [Revised: 05/02/2019] [Accepted: 05/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Peripersonal space can be considered as the interface between the body and the environment, where objects can be reached and which may serve as a reference for the central nervous system with regard to possible actions. Peripersonal space can be studied by assessing the perception of the reachable space, which depends on the body's physical characteristics (i.e., arm length) since their modifications have been shown to be associated with a change in peripersonal space representation. However, it remains unclear whether the representation of limb dynamics also influences the representation of peripersonal space. The present study investigated this issue by perturbing the force-field environment. A novel force field was created by rotating an experimental platform where participants were seated while they reached towards visual targets. Manual reaching performance was assessed before, during and after platform rotation. Crucially, perception of peripersonal space was also assessed, with reachability judgments, before and after platform rotation. As expected, sensori-motor adaptation to the perturbed force field was observed. Our principal finding is that peripersonal space was systematically perceived as closer to the body after force-field adaptation. Two control experiments showed no significant difference in reachability judgments when no reaching movements were performed during platform rotation or when reaching movements were performed without platform rotation, suggesting that the change in perceived peripersonal space resulted from exposure to new limb dynamics. Overall, our findings show that sensori-motor adaptation of reaching movements to a new force field, which does not directly influence arm length but results in the updating of the arm's internal model of limb dynamics, interacts with the perceptual categorisation of space, supporting a motor contribution to the representation of peripersonal space.
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21
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Serino A. Peripersonal space (PPS) as a multisensory interface between the individual and the environment, defining the space of the self. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 99:138-159. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.01.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 112] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2018] [Revised: 12/23/2018] [Accepted: 01/14/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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22
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Bufacchi RJ, Iannetti GD. An Action Field Theory of Peripersonal Space. Trends Cogn Sci 2018; 22:1076-1090. [PMID: 30337061 PMCID: PMC6237614 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2018.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2018] [Revised: 09/17/2018] [Accepted: 09/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Predominant conceptual frameworks often describe peripersonal space (PPS) as a single, distance-based, in-or-out zone within which stimuli elicit enhanced neural and behavioural responses. Here we argue that this intuitive framework is contradicted by neurophysiological and behavioural data. First, PPS-related measures are not binary, but graded with proximity. Second, they are strongly influenced by factors other than proximity, such as walking, tool use, stimulus valence, and social cues. Third, many different PPS-related responses exist, and each can be used to describe a different space. Here, we reconceptualise PPS as a set of graded fields describing behavioural relevance of actions aiming to create or avoid contact between objects and the body. This reconceptualisation incorporates PPS into mainstream theories of action selection and behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rory J Bufacchi
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, London, UK; Centre for Mathematics and Physics in the Life Sciences and Experimental Biology (CoMPLEX), University College London, London, UK
| | - Gian Domenico Iannetti
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, London, UK; Centre for Mathematics and Physics in the Life Sciences and Experimental Biology (CoMPLEX), University College London, London, UK; Neuroscience and Behaviour Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rome, Italy.
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23
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Noel JP, Samad M, Doxon A, Clark J, Keller S, Di Luca M. Peri-personal space as a prior in coupling visual and proprioceptive signals. Sci Rep 2018; 8:15819. [PMID: 30361477 PMCID: PMC6202371 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-33961-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2018] [Accepted: 10/07/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
It has been suggested that the integration of multiple body-related sources of information within the peri-personal space (PPS) scaffolds body ownership. However, a normative computational framework detailing the functional role of PPS is still missing. Here we cast PPS as a visuo-proprioceptive Bayesian inference problem whereby objects we see in our environment are more likely to engender sensations as they come near to the body. We propose that PPS is the reflection of such an increased a priori probability of visuo-proprioceptive coupling that surrounds the body. To test this prediction, we immersed participants in a highly realistic virtual reality (VR) simulation of their right arm and surrounding environment. We asked participants to perform target-directed reaches toward visual, proprioceptive, and visuo-proprioceptive targets while visually displaying their reaching arm (body visible condition) or not (body invisible condition). Reach end-points are analyzed in light of the coupling prior framework, where the extension of PPS is taken to be represented by the spatial dispersion of the coupling prior between visual and proprioceptive estimates of arm location. Results demonstrate that if the body is not visible, the spatial dispersion of the visuo-proprioceptive coupling relaxes, whereas the strength of coupling remains stable. By demonstrating a distance-dependent alteration in visual and proprioceptive localization attractive pull toward one another (stronger pull at small spatial discrepancies) when the body is rendered invisible - an effect that is well accounted for by the visuo-proprioceptive coupling prior - the results suggest that the visible body grounds visuo-proprioceptive coupling preferentially in the near vs. far space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Paul Noel
- Oculus Research, Facebook Inc., Redmond, WA, USA.,Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Majed Samad
- Oculus Research, Facebook Inc., Redmond, WA, USA.,Department of Psychology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Andrew Doxon
- Oculus Research, Facebook Inc., Redmond, WA, USA
| | - Justin Clark
- Oculus Research, Facebook Inc., Redmond, WA, USA
| | - Sean Keller
- Oculus Research, Facebook Inc., Redmond, WA, USA
| | - Massimiliano Di Luca
- Oculus Research, Facebook Inc., Redmond, WA, USA. .,Centre for Computational Neuroscience and Cognitive Robotics, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
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24
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Abstract
The construction of a coherent representation of our body and the mapping of the space immediately surrounding it are of the highest ecological importance. This space has at least three specificities: it is a space where actions are planned in order to interact with our environment; it is a space that contributes to the experience of self and self-boundaries, through tactile processing and multisensory interactions; last, it is a space that contributes to the experience of body integrity against external events. In the last decades, numerous studies have been interested in peripersonal space (PPS), defined as the space directly surrounding us and which we can interact with (for reviews, see Cléry et al., 2015b; de Vignemont and Iannetti, 2015; di Pellegrino and Làdavas, 2015). These studies have contributed to the understanding of how this space is constructed, encoded and modulated. The majority of these studies focused on subparts of PPS (the hand, the face or the trunk) and very few of them investigated the interaction between PPS subparts. In the present review, we summarize the latest advances in this research and we discuss the new perspectives that are set forth for futures investigations on this topic. We describe the most recent methods used to estimate PPS boundaries by the means of dynamic stimuli. We then highlight how impact prediction and approaching stimuli modulate this space by social, emotional and action-related components involving principally a parieto-frontal network. In a next step, we review evidence that there is not a unique representation of PPS but at least three sub-sections (hand, face and trunk PPS). Last, we discuss how these subspaces interact, and we question whether and how bodily self-consciousness (BSC) is functionally and behaviorally linked to PPS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justine Cléry
- UMR5229, Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, CNRS-Université Claude Bernard Lyon I, Bron, France
| | - Suliann Ben Hamed
- UMR5229, Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, CNRS-Université Claude Bernard Lyon I, Bron, France
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Balancing body ownership: Visual capture of proprioception and affectivity during vestibular stimulation. Neuropsychologia 2018; 117:311-321. [PMID: 29940194 PMCID: PMC6092558 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2018.06.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2018] [Revised: 06/01/2018] [Accepted: 06/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The experience of our body as our own (i.e. body ownership) involves integrating different sensory signals according to their contextual relevance (i.e. multisensory integration). Until recently, most studies of multisensory integration and body ownership concerned only vision, touch and proprioception; the role of other modalities, such as the vestibular system and interoception, has been neglected and remains poorly understood. In particular, no study to date has directly explored the combined effect of vestibular and interoceptive signals on body ownership. Here, we investigated for the first time how Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation (left, right, sham), tactile affectivity (a reclassified interoceptive modality manipulated by applying touch at C-tactile optimal versus non-optimal velocities), and their combination, influence proprioceptive and subjective measures of body ownership during a rubber hand illusion paradigm with healthy participants (N = 26). Our results show that vestibular stimulation (left GVS) significantly increased proprioceptive drift towards the rubber hand during mere visual exposure to the rubber hand. Moreover, it also enhanced participants’ proprioceptive drift towards the rubber hand during manipulations of synchronicity and affective touch. These findings suggest that the vestibular system influences multisensory integration, possibly by re-weighting both the two-way relationship between proprioception and vision, as well as the three-way relationship between proprioception, vision and affective touch. We discuss these findings in relation to current predictive coding models of multisensory integration and body ownership. We studied vestibular and affective contributions to body ownership. We stimulated the vestibular system in a Rubber Hand paradigm with affective touch. Right-hemisphere stimulation increased proprioceptive drift during vision of a RH. Applying affective touch further increased proprioceptive drift. Affective and vestibular signals may favour vision in multisensory integration.
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Noel JP, Blanke O, Serino A. From multisensory integration in peripersonal space to bodily self-consciousness: from statistical regularities to statistical inference. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2018; 1426:146-165. [PMID: 29876922 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.13867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2017] [Revised: 04/24/2018] [Accepted: 05/02/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Integrating information across sensory systems is a critical step toward building a cohesive representation of the environment and one's body, and as illustrated by numerous illusions, scaffolds subjective experience of the world and self. In the last years, classic principles of multisensory integration elucidated in the subcortex have been translated into the language of statistical inference understood by the neocortical mantle. Most importantly, a mechanistic systems-level description of multisensory computations via probabilistic population coding and divisive normalization is actively being put forward. In parallel, by describing and understanding bodily illusions, researchers have suggested multisensory integration of bodily inputs within the peripersonal space as a key mechanism in bodily self-consciousness. Importantly, certain aspects of bodily self-consciousness, although still very much a minority, have been recently casted under the light of modern computational understandings of multisensory integration. In doing so, we argue, the field of bodily self-consciousness may borrow mechanistic descriptions regarding the neural implementation of inference computations outlined by the multisensory field. This computational approach, leveraged on the understanding of multisensory processes generally, promises to advance scientific comprehension regarding one of the most mysterious questions puzzling humankind, that is, how our brain creates the experience of a self in interaction with the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Paul Noel
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Olaf Blanke
- Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience (LNCO), Center for Neuroprosthetics (CNP), Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
- Department of Neurology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Andrea Serino
- MySpace Lab, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV), University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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Audio-visual sensory deprivation degrades visuo-tactile peri-personal space. Conscious Cogn 2018; 61:61-75. [DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2018.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2017] [Revised: 03/15/2018] [Accepted: 04/02/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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