During the rubber hand illusion (RHI), subjects experience an artificial as part of their own body, while real is subject to a sort 'disembodiment'. Can this altered belief about body also affect physiological mechanisms involved in body-ownership, such motor control? Here we ask whether excitability pathways (disembodied) are affected by illusion. Our results show that amplitude motor-evoked potentials recorded from significantly reduced, with respect baseline, when synchronous (but not...

A question still debated within cognitive neuroscience is whether signals present during actions significantly contribute to the emergence of human's body ownership. In study, we aimed at answer this by means a neuropsychological approach. We administered classical rubber hand illusion paradigm group healthy participants and neurological patients affected complete left upper limb hemiplegia, but without any propriceptive/tactile deficits. The strength was measured both subjectively (i.e.,...

Selective neurological impairments can shed light on different aspects of motor cognition. Brain-damaged patients with anosognosia for hemiplegia deny their deficit and believe they still move the paralysed limb. Here we study, first time, if anomalous subjective experience that affected hand move, may have objective consequences constrain movement execution opposite, intact hand. Using a bimanual task, in which anosognosic were asked to simultaneously trace out lines unaffected circles...

A challenge for neuroscience is to understand the conscious and unconscious processes underlying construction of willed actions. We investigated neural substrate human motor awareness during awake brain surgery. In a first experiment, patients performed voluntary hand task verbally monitored their real-time performance, while different areas were transiently impaired by direct electrical stimulation (DES). second retrospectively reported performance after DES. Based on anatomo-clinical...

Emotion and perception are tightly intertwined, as affective experiences often arise from the appraisal of sensory information. Nonetheless, whether brain encodes emotional instances using a sensory-specific code or in more abstract manner is unclear. Here, we answer this question by measuring association between emotion ratings collected during unisensory multisensory presentation full-length movie activity recorded typically developed, congenitally blind deaf participants. Emotional...

A fruitful approach to the understanding human awareness of action is study those pathologies in which some aspects it are altered. Previous evidences showed that patients with schizophrenia tend attribute someone else' actions their own, as internally, rather than externally, generated. Here, we asked whether schizophrenics have an "excessive" sense agency, while observing others' movements. We took advantage from circles-lines task, known show bimanual interferences. Twenty and 20...

Abstract The defensive peripersonal space (DPPS) is a vital “safety margin” surrounding the body. When threatening stimulus delivered inside DPPS, subcortical responses like hand-blink reflex (HBR) are adjusted depending on perceived threat content. In three experiments, we explored whether and how affected by interpersonal interaction within DPPS of face. Experiment 1, found that HBR enhanced when brought close to face not only one’s own stimulated hand, but also another person’s although...

Sensory attenuation (i.e., the phenomenon whereby self-produced sensations are perceived as less intense compared to externally occurring ones) is among neurocognitive processes that help distinguishing ourselves from others. It thought be rooted in motor system (e.g., related intention and prediction), while role of body awareness, which necessarily accompanies any voluntary movement, this largely unknown. To fill gap, here we intensity, somatosensory evoked potentials, alpha-band...

In the study of bodily awareness, predictive coding theory has revealed that our brain continuously modulates sensory experiences to integrate them into a unitary body representation. Indeed, during multisensory illusions (e.g., rubber hand illusion, RHI), synchronous stroking participant’s concealed and fake visible one creates visuotactile conflict, generating prediction error. Within framework, through processing modulation, errors are solved, inducing participants feel as if touches...

ABSTRACT Previous research indicates that both adults and newborns show enhanced electrophysiological behavioral responses to schematic face‐like configurations (FCs—three dots composing a downward‐pointing triangle), as compared the inverted (ICs). Even fetuses, when exposed light stimuli projected through uterine wall, preferentially orient their heads toward FCs rather than ICs. However, this effect emerges along third trimester of pregnancy in relation maturation which brain structures...

The feeling of owning a body (body ownership) and controlling its actions (sense agency) contributes to the emergence bodily-self representation, whose alteration is at root central psychopathology Eating Disorders (EDs). Yet, studies addressing these aspects in EDs provided inconsistent results. Here, we simultaneously test ownership sense agency compared controls by exploiting different rubber hand illusion (RHI) paradigms (i.e., classic visuo-tactile, passive active visuo-motor versions)....

A crucial aspect for the cognitive neuroscience of pain is interplay between perception and body awareness. Here we report a novel neuropsychological condition in which right brain-damaged patients displayed selective monothematic delusion ownership. Specifically, when both their own co-experimenter's left arms were present, these claimed that latter belonged to them. We reasoned this was an ideal examine whether can be "referred" alien arm subjectively experienced as one's own. Seventeen...

Abstract A fundamental component of the self‐awareness is sensation that we are acting with our own body. Thus, a coherent sense self implies existence tight link between body ownership and motor system. Here, investigated this issue by taking advantage well‐known experimental manipulation ownership, i.e., rubber hand illusion (RHI), during which subjects perceive fake as part their To test effect system down‐regulation on RHI susceptibility, designed sham‐controlled study, where primary...

The hand blink reflex is a subcortical defensive response, known to dramatically increase when the stimulated statically positioned inside peripersonal space (DPPS) of face. Here, we tested in group healthy human subjects dynamic conditions, investigating whether direction movements (up-to/down-from face) could modulate it. We found that, on equal position, response enhancement was present only approached (and not receded from) DPPS This means close face but subject planning move down,...

Recent studies show that motor responses similar to those present in one's own pain (freezing effect) occur as a result of observation others. This finding has been interpreted the physiological basis empathy. Alternatively, it can represent counterpart an embodiment phenomenon related sense body ownership. We compared empathy and ownership hypotheses by manipulating perspective observed hand model receiving so could be first-person perspective, one which occurs, or third-person we usually...

Self-harm is considered a pervasive problem in several psychopathologies, and especially Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Self-harming behaviors may be enacted for many purposes example to regulate emotions reduce dissociation. BPD patients often report dissociative episodes, which related an altered body awareness, particular awareness of the sense agency. The agency draws part upon perceptions being control our bodies physical movements, able act environments. In this study, we aim...

The brain mechanisms underlying the emergence of a normal sense body ownership can be investigated starting from pathological conditions in which awareness is selectively impaired. Here, we focused on embodiment, disturbance observed brain-damaged patients who misidentify other people's limbs as their own. We whether such classified disconnection syndrome, using three different approaches based diffusion tensor imaging: (i) reconstruction disconnectome maps large sample (N = 70) stroke with...

Abstract The processing of multisensory information is based upon the capacity brain regions, such as superior temporal cortex, to combine across modalities. However, it still unclear whether representation coherent auditory and visual events requires any prior audiovisual experience develop function. Here we measured synchronization during presentation an audiovisual, audio-only or video-only version same narrative in distinct groups sensory-deprived (congenitally blind deaf) typically...