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Canino S, Torchia V, Gaita M, Raimo S, Palermo L. Linking the inner and outer mental representations of the body to social cognition skills: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Neuropsychologia 2024; 204:108989. [PMID: 39233220 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2024.108989] [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: 04/23/2024] [Revised: 07/17/2024] [Accepted: 08/30/2024] [Indexed: 09/06/2024]
Abstract
An interesting interpretation of embodiment highlights the critical role of mental body representations (BR), including motor, somatosensory, and interoceptive formats, for social cognition. However, the nature of this relationship is still debated at the empirical level, with various studies arriving at different conclusions. Here, we present a systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to summarize data from 3466 participants in 21 studies to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the relationship between inner and outer BR and social cognition. We focused on two core social cognition aspects: empathy and Theory of Mind (ToM). Concerning the inner BR, our meta-analytic findings reveal a significant correlation between specific interoceptive dimensions (i.e., interoceptive sensibility and accuracy) and social cognition, which was stronger for empathy than ToM. Conversely, although further research is needed, functional BR that mainly involve the outer body processing (i.e., nonaction-oriented BR) may show positive links with ToM. These findings point to specific interactions between BR and social cognition skills, supporting multi-faceted and embodied social cognition models. However, we also identified critical knowledge gaps and highlighted the need for further investigation to deepen our theoretical understanding of these relationships and their implications for clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Canino
- Department of Health Sciences, Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy.
| | - Valentina Torchia
- Department of Health Sciences, Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Mariachiara Gaita
- Department of Psychology, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Caserta, Italy
| | - Simona Raimo
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Liana Palermo
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy.
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2
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Wu H, Huang Y, Qin P, Wu H. Individual Differences in Bodily Self-Consciousness and Its Neural Basis. Brain Sci 2024; 14:795. [PMID: 39199487 PMCID: PMC11353174 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14080795] [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: 05/17/2024] [Revised: 08/02/2024] [Accepted: 08/02/2024] [Indexed: 09/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Bodily self-consciousness (BSC), a subject of interdisciplinary interest, refers to the awareness of one's bodily states. Previous studies have noted the existence of individual differences in BSC, while neglecting the underlying factors and neural basis of such individual differences. Considering that BSC relied on integration from both internal and external self-relevant information, we here review previous findings on individual differences in BSC through a three-level-self model, which includes interoceptive, exteroceptive, and mental self-processing. The data show that cross-level factors influenced individual differences in BSC, involving internal bodily signal perceptibility, multisensory processing principles, personal traits shaped by environment, and interaction modes that integrate multiple levels of self-processing. Furthermore, in interoceptive processing, regions like the anterior cingulate cortex and insula show correlations with different perceptions of internal sensations. For exteroception, the parietal lobe integrates sensory inputs, coordinating various BSC responses. Mental self-processing modulates differences in BSC through areas like the medial prefrontal cortex. For interactions between multiple levels of self-processing, regions like the intraparietal sulcus involve individual differences in BSC. We propose that diverse experiences of BSC can be attributed to different levels of self-processing, which moderates one's perception of their body. Overall, considering individual differences in BSC is worth amalgamating diverse methodologies for the diagnosis and treatment of some diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haiyan Wu
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China; (H.W.); (Y.H.)
| | - Ying Huang
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China; (H.W.); (Y.H.)
| | - Pengmin Qin
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China; (H.W.); (Y.H.)
- Pazhou Lab, Guangzhou 510330, China
| | - Hang Wu
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, Institute for Brain Research and Rehabilitation, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
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3
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Raimo S, Ferrazzano G, Di Vita A, Gaita M, Satriano F, Veneziano M, Torchia V, Zerella MP, Malimpensa L, Signoriello E, Lus G, Palermo L, Conte A. The multidimensional assessment of body representation and interoception in multiple sclerosis. Mult Scler Relat Disord 2024; 87:105692. [PMID: 38810419 DOI: 10.1016/j.msard.2024.105692] [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: 04/12/2023] [Revised: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The mental representation of the body (or body representation, BR) derives from the processing of multiple sensory and motor inputs and plays a crucial role in guiding our actions and in how we perceive our body. Fundamental inputs for BR construction come also from the interoceptive systems which refer to the whole bidirectional processes between the brain and the body. People with Multiple sclerosis (MS) show an abnormal multisensory integration which may compromise BR and interoception integrity. However, no study has evaluated possible deficits on distinct and dissociable dimensions of body representation (i.e., action-oriented, aBR; and a nonaction-oriented body representation, NaBR) and interoception (i.e., interoceptive accuracy, interoceptive sensibility, and interoceptive awareness) in MS. OBJECTIVE In the present study, we aimed to determine whether participants with MS present changes in BR and interoceptive dimensions. METHODS We performed comparison analyses on tasks and questionnaires tapping all BR and interoceptive dimensions between 36 people with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) and 42 healthy controls, and between 23 people with progressive MS (PMS) and 33 healthy controls. RESULTS Overall, patients with MS exhibited lower interoceptive accuracy than matched controls. The RRMS group also showed higher visceral interoceptive sensibility levels. No differences were found in BR accuracy measures, but the PMS reported longer response times when performing the aBR task. CONCLUSION These findings open a new issue on the role of inner-signal monitoring in the body symptomatology of MS and highlight the need for an accurate BR and interoceptive assessment in a clinical setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Raimo
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, 'Magna Graecia' University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy.
| | - Gina Ferrazzano
- Department of Human Neuroscience, 'Sapienza' University of Rome, Roma, Italy
| | - Antonella Di Vita
- Department of Human Neuroscience, 'Sapienza' University of Rome, Roma, Italy
| | - Mariachiara Gaita
- Department of Psychology, University of Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli', Caserta, Italy
| | - Federica Satriano
- Department of Human Neuroscience, 'Sapienza' University of Rome, Roma, Italy
| | - Miriam Veneziano
- Department of Psychology, University of Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli', Caserta, Italy
| | - Valentina Torchia
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, 'Magna Graecia' University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Maria Paola Zerella
- Department of Human Neuroscience, 'Sapienza' University of Rome, Roma, Italy
| | | | - Elisabetta Signoriello
- Multiple Sclerosis Center, II Neurological Clinic, University of Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli', Napoli, Italy; Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli', Napoli, Italy
| | - Giacomo Lus
- Multiple Sclerosis Center, II Neurological Clinic, University of Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli', Napoli, Italy; Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli', Napoli, Italy
| | - Liana Palermo
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, 'Magna Graecia' University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Antonella Conte
- Department of Human Neuroscience, 'Sapienza' University of Rome, Roma, Italy; IRCCS Neuromed, Pozzilli (IS), Italy
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Solano Durán P, Morales JP, Huepe D. Interoceptive awareness in a clinical setting: the need to bring interoceptive perspectives into clinical evaluation. Front Psychol 2024; 15:1244701. [PMID: 38933585 PMCID: PMC11199726 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1244701] [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: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Interoceptive awareness (IA) is crucial to understanding mental health. The Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA) scale, available in approximately 30 languages, has gained global recognition for its research applicability. This review highlights the critical importance of integrating IA evaluation in clinical settings, advocating for the MAIA scale's potential as a screening tool. Through an examination of academic databases, including Scopus, PubMed, Google Scholar, and J-STOR, our analysis spans seven mental health domains: eating disorders (ED), depression, stress, anxiety, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), chronic pain, and suicide ideation (SI). Thirty-eight studies showed links between several dimensions of IA with different disorders. That is, ED was related to Body Trust and Self-Regulation; anxiety to Body Listening, Emotional Awareness, and Self-Regulation; depression to Noticing and Emotional Awareness; ASD to Trusting, Emotional Awareness, and Noticing; chronic pain to Not-Worrying and Self-Regulation; and SI with Trusting. These insights hold profound implications for both clinical practice and mental health research. Integrating IA assessments into standard clinical protocols has the potential to improve our understanding of pathology, enrich patient care, and enhance therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Solano Durán
- Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience (CSCN), School of Psychology, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago de Chile, Chile
- Oficina de Equidad de Género, Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica, Cartago, Costa Rica
| | - Juan-Pablo Morales
- Facultad de Educación Psicología y Familia, Universidad Finis Terrae, Santiago, Chile
- University of Sydney Business School, Darlington, NSW, Australia
| | - David Huepe
- Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience (CSCN), School of Psychology, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago de Chile, Chile
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Haustein M, Thomas EBK, Scheer K, Denburg NL. Interoception, Affect, and Cognition in Older Adults. Exp Aging Res 2024; 50:279-295. [PMID: 36871576 PMCID: PMC10477322 DOI: 10.1080/0361073x.2023.2183704] [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: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/07/2023]
Abstract
Interoception is the detection of signals that arise from within the body. Interoceptive sensitivity has been found to be associated with affect and cognition among younger adults, and examination of these relationships in older adult samples is beginning to emerge. Here, we take an exploratory approach to determine how demographic, affective, and cognitive variables relate to interoceptive sensitivity in neurologically normal older adults, aged 60-91 years old. Ninety-one participants completed a comprehensive neuropsychological battery, self-report questionnaires, and a heartbeat counting task to measure interoceptive sensitivity. Our findings revealed several relationships: 1) interoceptive sensitivity was inversely correlated with measures of positive emotionality: participants with higher interoceptive sensitivity tended to have lower levels of positive affect and trait extraversion; 2) interoceptive sensitivity was found to positively correlate with cognition: participants who performed better on the heartbeat-counting task also tended to perform better on a measure of delayed verbal memory; and 3) when examining the predictors of interoceptive sensitivity in a single hierarchical regression model, higher interoceptive sensitivity was related to: higher time estimation, lower positive affect, lower extraversion, and higher verbal memory. In total, the model accounted for 38% of the variability in interoceptive sensitivity (R2 = .38). These results suggest that, among older adults, interoceptive sensitivity is facilitative for aspects of cognition but perhaps disruptive for certain aspects of emotional experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcus Haustein
- Department of Neurology, Division of Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa, USA
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Great River Health System, West Burlington, Iowa, USA
| | - Emily B K Thomas
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Iowa, USA
| | - Kodi Scheer
- Department of Neurology, Division of Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa, USA
| | - Natalie L Denburg
- Department of Neurology, Division of Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa, USA
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Iowa, USA
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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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7
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Brusa F, Erden MS, Sedda A. More implicit and more explicit motor imagery tasks for exploring the mental representation of hands and feet in action. Exp Brain Res 2023; 241:2765-2778. [PMID: 37855915 PMCID: PMC10635989 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-023-06718-2] [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: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
The mental representation of the body in action can be explored using motor imagery (MI) tasks. MI tasks can be allocated along a continuum going from more implicit to more explicit tasks, where the discriminant is the degree of action monitoring required to solve the tasks (which is the awareness of using the mental representation of our own body to monitor our motor imagery). Tasks based on laterality judgments, such as the Hand Laterality Task (HLT) and the Foot Laterality Task (FLT), provide an example of more implicit tasks (i.e., less action monitoring is required). While, an example of a more explicit task is the Mental Motor Chronometry task (MMC) for hands and feet, where individuals are asked to perform or imagine performing movements with their limbs (i.e., more action monitoring is required). In our study, we directly compared hands and feet at all these tasks for the first time, as these body districts have different physical features as well as functions. Fifty-five participants were asked to complete an online version of the HLT and FLT (more implicit measure), and an online version of the MMC task for hands and feet (more explicit measure). The mental representation of hands and feet in action differed only when the degree of action monitoring decreased (HLT ≠ FLT); we observed the presence of biomechanical constraints only for hands. Differently, when the degree of action monitoring increased hands and feet did not show any difference (MMC hands = MMC feet). Our results show the presence of a difference in the mental representation of hands and feet in action that specifically depends on the degree of action monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Brusa
- Psychology Department, School of Social Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK.
- Centre for Applied Behavioural Sciences, School of Social Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK.
| | - Mustafa Suphi Erden
- School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK
- Edinburgh Centre for Robotics, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Anna Sedda
- Psychology Department, School of Social Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK
- Centre for Applied Behavioural Sciences, School of Social Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK
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8
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Boccia M, Raimo S, Di Vita A, Teghil A, Palermo L. Combining the Inner Self with the Map of the Body: Evidence for White Matter Contribution to the Relation Between Interoceptive Sensibility and Nonaction-oriented Body Representation. Neuroscience 2023; 521:157-165. [PMID: 37142183 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2023.04.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2022] [Revised: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Very recent studies on healthy individuals suggest that changes in the sensibility toward internal bodily sensations across the lifespan affect the ability to mentally represent one's body, in terms of action-oriented and nonaction-oriented body representation (BR). Little is known about the neural correlates of this relation. Here we fill this gap using the neuropsychological model provided by focal brain damage. Sixty-five patients with unilateral stroke (20 with left and 45 with right brain damage, LBD and RBD, respectively) participated in this study. Both action-oriented BR and nonaction-oriented BR were tested; interoceptive sensibility was assessed as well. First, we tested whether interoceptive sensibility predicted action-oriented BR and nonaction-oriented BR, in RBD and LBD separately. Then, a track-wise hodological lesion-deficit analysis was performed in a subsample of twenty-four patients to test the brain network supporting this relation. We found that interoceptive sensibility predicted the performances in the task tapping nonaction-oriented BR. The higher interoceptive sensibility was, the worse patients performed. This relation was associated with the disconnection probability of the corticospinal tract, the fronto-insular tract, and the pons. We expand over the previous findings on healthy individuals, supporting the idea that high levels of interoceptive sensibility negatively affect BR. Specific frontal projections and frontal u-shaped tracts may play a pivotal role in such an effect, likely affecting the development of a first-order representation of the self within the brainstem autoregulatory centers and posterior insula and of a second-order representation of the self within the anterior insula and higher-order prefrontal areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maddalena Boccia
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy; Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging Unit, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy.
| | - Simona Raimo
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Antonella Di Vita
- Department of Human Neuroscience, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Alice Teghil
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy; Cognitive and Motor Rehabilitation and Neuroimaging Unit, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Liana Palermo
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy
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Blackwood J, Carpentier S, Deng W, Van de Winckel A. Preliminary Rasch analysis of the multidimensional assessment of interoceptive awareness in adults with stroke. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0286657. [PMID: 37267348 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 05/21/2023] [Indexed: 06/04/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE The Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA) measures interoceptive body awareness, which includes aspects such as attention regulation, self-regulation, and body listening. Our purpose was to perform a preliminary validation of the MAIA in adults with stroke using Rasch Measurement Theory. METHODS The original MAIA has 32 items that measure interoceptive sensibility, which is an aspect of body awareness. We performed a preliminary analysis with Rasch Measurement Theory to evaluate the unidimensionality and structural validity of the scale. We investigated overall fit to assess unidimensionality, person and item fit, person separation reliability, targeting, local item dependence, and principal components analysis of residuals. RESULTS Forty-one adults with chronic stroke (average 3.8 years post-stroke, 13 women, average age 57±13 years) participated in the study. Overall fit (χ 2 = 62.26, p = 0.26) and item fit were obtained after deleting 3 items and rescoring 26 items. One participant did not fit the model (2.44%). There were no floor (0.00%) or ceiling effects (0.00%). Local item dependence was found in 42 pairs. The person separation reliability was 0.91, and the person mean location was 0.06±1.12 logits. CONCLUSIONS The preliminary structural validity of the MAIA demonstrated good targeting and reliability, as well as unidimensionality, and good item and person fit in adults with chronic stroke. A study with a larger sample size is needed to validate our findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jena Blackwood
- Division of Rehabilitation Science, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Medical School, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Sydney Carpentier
- Division of Rehabilitation Science, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Medical School, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Wei Deng
- Division of Rehabilitation Science, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Medical School, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Ann Van de Winckel
- Division of Physical Therapy, Division of Rehabilitation Science, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Medical School, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
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Sebri V, Durosini I, Strika M, Pizzoli SFM, Mazzocco K, Pravettoni G. Virtual reality for the promotion of interoception awareness and body image in breast cancer survivors: a study protocol. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1165905. [PMID: 37333602 PMCID: PMC10270286 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1165905] [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: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Women who received a diagnosis of breast cancer often report impairments in physical and psychological wellbeing, even some years after treatments. Individual awareness about physical changes, body image, and current sensations related to their body is important to maintain a psycho-emotional balance. Virtual reality, as an advanced human-computer interface, can be an effective tool to improve breast cancer survivors' abilities to know and manage their current sensations related to their bodies. The present study protocol proposes a virtual reality intervention aiming at promoting interoception and emotional wellbeing, fear of cancer recurrence, and body perception in breast cancer survivors, according to the three data collection times. Repeated-measure analysis of variance (ANOVA) with between-within interaction will be performed. Expected results include participants' awareness of their internal feelings, the reduction of negative emotions, and the management of symptoms related to the body, clarifying characteristics for the effective implementation of VR psychological intervention in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valeria Sebri
- Applied Research Division for Cognitive and Psychological Science, IEO, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Ilaria Durosini
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Milija Strika
- Applied Research Division for Cognitive and Psychological Science, IEO, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Silvia Francesca Maria Pizzoli
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
- Faculty of Psychology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy
| | - Ketti Mazzocco
- Applied Research Division for Cognitive and Psychological Science, IEO, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Gabriella Pravettoni
- Applied Research Division for Cognitive and Psychological Science, IEO, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
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11
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The bodily fundament of empathy: The role of action, nonaction-oriented, and interoceptive body representations. Psychon Bull Rev 2022:10.3758/s13423-022-02231-9. [PMID: 36510091 DOI: 10.3758/s13423-022-02231-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Mental representations with bodily contents or in various bodily formats have been suggested to play a pivotal role in social cognition, including empathy. However, there is a lack of systematic studies investigating, in the same sample of participants and using an individual differences approach, whether and to what extent the sensorimotor, perceptual, and interoceptive representations of the body could fulfill an explanatory role in the empathic abilities.To address this goal, we carried out two studies in which healthy adults were given measures of interoceptive sensibility (IS), action (aBR), and nonaction-oriented body representations (NaBR), and affective, cognitive, and motor empathy. A higher tendency to be self-focused on interoceptive signals predicted higher affective, cognitive, and motor empathy levels. A better performance in tasks probing aBR and NaBR predicted, respectively, higher motor and cognitive empathy levels.These findings support the view that the various facets of the empathic response are differently grounded in the body since they diversely involve representations with a different bodily format.Individual differences in the focus on one's internal body state representation can directly modulate all the components of the empathic experience. Instead, a body representation used interpersonally to represent both one's own body and others' bodies, in particular in its spatial specificity, could be necessary to accurately understand other people's minds (cognitive empathy), while a sensorimotor body representation used to represent both one's own body and others' bodies actions, could be fundamental for the self-awareness of feelings expressed in actions (motor empathy).
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12
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Baumann P, Beckmann N, Herpertz S, Trojan J, Diers M. Influencing the body schema through the feeling of satiety. Sci Rep 2022; 12:2350. [PMID: 35149735 PMCID: PMC8837638 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-06331-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The body schema is a much discussed aspect of body awareness. Although there is still no single definition, there is widespread consensus that the body schema is responsible for movement and interaction with the environment. It usually remains outside of active consciousness. There are only few investigations on influences on the body schema and none of them investigated feeling of satiety or hunger. Thirty-two healthy women were investigated twice, one time sat and the other time hungry. To measure the body schema, we used a door-like-aperture and compared the critical aperture-to-shoulder-ratio (cA/S). A cover story was used to ensure that the unconscious body schema has been measured. We found a significantly higher cA/S for satiety compared to hungry, which indicates that during satiety participants rotate their shoulders for relatively larger door compared to hunger, unconsciously estimating their body size to be larger. We showed that even a moderate rated feeling of hunger or satiety leads to an adjustment in body-scaled action and consequently also an adaptation of body schema. It suggests that, in addition to the visual-spatial and the proprioceptive representation, somatic information can also be relevant for the body schema.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Baumann
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, LWL University Hospital, Ruhr University Bochum, Alexandrinenstraße 1-3, 44791, Bochum, Germany
| | - Nina Beckmann
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, LWL University Hospital, Ruhr University Bochum, Alexandrinenstraße 1-3, 44791, Bochum, Germany
| | - Stephan Herpertz
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, LWL University Hospital, Ruhr University Bochum, Alexandrinenstraße 1-3, 44791, Bochum, Germany
| | - Jörg Trojan
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, LWL University Hospital, Ruhr University Bochum, Alexandrinenstraße 1-3, 44791, Bochum, Germany
| | - Martin Diers
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, LWL University Hospital, Ruhr University Bochum, Alexandrinenstraße 1-3, 44791, Bochum, Germany.
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13
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE Systematic studies about the impact of unilateral brain damage on the different body representations (body schema, body structural representation, and body semantics) are still rare. Aim of this study was to evaluate body representation deficits in a relatively large sample of patients with unilateral brain damage and to investigate the impact of right or left brain damage on body representations (BRs), independently from deficits in other cognitive processes. METHOD Sixty-four patients with unilateral stroke (22 with left brain damage, LBD; 31 with right brain damage without neglect, RBD-N; 11 with right brain damage with neglect, RBD+N) and 41 healthy individuals underwent a specific battery including BR as well as control tasks. RESULTS In more than a third of the sample, selective (37.5%) and pure (31%) deficits of BR were presented and equally distributed among the different BRs (˜10% for each representation), with selective (27.2%) and pure (22.7%) body schema deficit mainly presented after left brain damage. As a group, patients with unilateral brain damage, independently of the side of lesion (LBD, RBD-N, RBD+N), had significantly worse performance on body structural representation with respect to healthy individuals, whereas LBD had numerically worse performance on body schema with respect to healthy individuals and RBD-N. No significant differences among groups were found on body semantics. CONCLUSION BR deficits are not a rare consequence of unilateral brain damage and are independent of a more general cognitive dysfunction. Accordingly, the need for an accurate assessment and specific neuropsychological training in clinical settings is discussed.
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14
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Teng B, Wang D, Su C, Zhou H, Wang T, Mehling WE, Hu Y. The multidimensional assessment of interoceptive awareness, version 2: Translation and psychometric properties of the Chinese version. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:970982. [PMID: 36440402 PMCID: PMC9691670 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.970982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA) is a self-report questionnaire developed by Dr. Mehling that has been widely used to assess multiple dimensions of interoceptive awareness. To further improve the MAIA, Mehling developed the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness, Version 2 (MAIA-2). The goal of this study is to systematically translate the MAIA-2 into Chinese and to investigate the psychometric properties of the Chinese version (MAIA-2C). MATERIALS AND METHODS The translation and adaptation of the questionnaire was conducted according to Beaton's method. A total number of 627 participants were enrolled and completed the survey. The entire sample was randomly divided into a training sample (n = 300, 47.8%) and a validation sample (n = 327, 52.2%) for a cross-validation. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to identify the factor structure of the MAIA-2C in the training sample while confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to test the factor structure obtained by EFA. The reliability of the MAIA-2C was indicated by Cronbach's alpha. The convergent and discriminant validity were assessed by Pearson intercorrelations between the MAIA-2C and the Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Trait anxiety (STAI-T). RESULTS The EFA results showed an initial 10-factor model, but some items (1, 2, 3, 4, 15, and 16) were deleted because they did not yield the original subscale construct, eventually resulting in a 7-factor model. The CFA results represented a good model fit (χ2/df = 2.170, RMSEA = 0.060, SRMR = 0.0810, CFI = 0.890). The Cronbach's alpha was 0.822 for the total scale and ranged from 0.656 to 0.838 for the subscales. The results of convergent and discriminant validity showed that most MAIA-2C subscales were correlated with the average score and subscales of FFMQ (r = -0.342∼0.535, p < 0.05), and all of the subscales of the MAIA-2C showed negative correlations with the STAI-T total score (r = -0.352∼-0.080, p < 0.05). CONCLUSION The MAIA-2C is a valid and reliable instrument for evaluating multiple dimensions of interoceptive awareness in a Chinese population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Binyu Teng
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Dan Wang
- National Clinical Research Center for Child Health, The Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Conghui Su
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hui Zhou
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Tengfei Wang
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Wolf E Mehling
- Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.,Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Yuzheng Hu
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
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15
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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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