Neuroscience robotics to investigate multisensory integration and bodily awareness

Duenas, Julio; Chapuis, D.; Pfeiffer, Christian; Martuzzi, Roberto; Ionta, Silvio; Blanke, Olaf; Gassert, Roger

doi:10.1109/iembs.2011.6092059

Cited by 11 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Here, we sought for a similar modulation of pain responses induced by the vision of a virtual body that also depended upon the level of illusory self-identification with that body during a full-body illusion [9] induced by controlled robotic stimulations [23][24][25].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The experiment was conducted in a light-shielded room where a robotic device for tactile stroking was installed [23]. The robotic device had 200 cm × 90 cm × 10 cm dimensions and a soft foam cover that permitted participants to lie comfortably on their back.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In two experiments, we combined robotic stimulation and virtual reality technology in order to induce the FBI [23][24][25]. We then investigated the response to acute noxious stimuli delivered to the participant's hand, through the recording of the SCR, corresponding to the activation of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) [26][27][28].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Illusory self-identification with an avatar reduces arousal responses to painful stimuli

Romano

Pfeiffer

Maravita

et al. 2014

Behavioural Brain Research

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h i g h l i g h t s• We experimentally induced the full body illusion through a robotic device.• We collected SCRs and ratings following acute pain stimulation during bodily illusion.• Reduced arousal responses were detectable under illusory states of self-consciousness.• Reduced SCR was related to the degree of ownership experienced for the virtual body.• Virtual body must be in anatomical configuration to be effective. a r t i c l e i n f o b s t r a c tLooking at one's own body has been shown to induce analgesia. In the present work we investigated whether illusory self-identification with an avatar, as induced experimentally through visuo-tactile stimulation, modulates the response to painful stimuli.In 30 healthy volunteers, a robotic device was used to stroke the participants' back, while they viewed either the body of an avatar, a non-body object (control object), or a body avatar with scrambled body parts (control body). All were visually stimulated in either congruent or incongruent fashion with the participant's body. We collected physiological responses (skin conductance response: SCR) to painful stimuli delivered to the participant's hand and responses to a questionnaire inquiring about self-identification with the avatar. We expected reduced physiological responses to pain during the observation of a body avatar only during synchronous visuo-tactile stroking and no reduction for the control object and the control body.Results showed a reduced SCR to painful stimuli when participants observed the normal body avatar being stroked synchronously that was also associated with largest self-identification ratings recordable already during the pain anticipation. Moreover, a negative correlation between self-identification and SCR was observed, suggesting that a greater degree of self-identification with the avatar was associated with larger decreases in SCR. These results suggest that during states of illusory self-identification with the avatar, the vision of an alien body (anatomically compatible for the vision and congruently stroked for the touch) is effective in modulating physiological responses to painful stimuli.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Illusory self-identification with an avatar reduces arousal responses to painful stimuli

Romano

Pfeiffer

Maravita

et al. 2014

Behavioural Brain Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…To this end, we used a novel robotic device [26] to administer visuo-tactile stimulation and manipulated the degree of Visuo-Vestibular Conflict and the synchrony of Stroking.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A custom-made robotic device was installed on a table at 90 cm above the floor. The robotic device had 200 cm×90 cm×10 cm dimensions (for a detailed description see [26]). Figure 1B–C illustrates the experimental setup with a participant lying on the robotic device.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multisensory Origin of the Subjective First-Person Perspective: Visual, Tactile, and Vestibular Mechanisms

et al. 2013

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In three experiments we investigated the effects of visuo-tactile and visuo-vestibular conflict about the direction of gravity on three aspects of bodily self-consciousness: self-identification, self-location, and the experienced direction of the first-person perspective. Robotic visuo-tactile stimulation was administered to 78 participants in three experiments. Additionally, we presented participants with a virtual body as seen from an elevated and downward-directed perspective while they were lying supine and were therefore receiving vestibular and postural cues about an upward-directed perspective. Under these conditions, we studied the effects of different degrees of visuo-vestibular conflict, repeated measurements during illusion induction, and the relationship to a classical measure of visuo-vestibular integration. Extending earlier findings on experimentally induced changes in bodily self-consciousness, we show that self-identification does not depend on the experienced direction of the first-person perspective, whereas self-location does. Changes in bodily self-consciousness depend on visual gravitational signals. Individual differences in the experienced direction of first-person perspective correlated with individual differences in visuo-vestibular integration. Our data reveal important contributions of visuo-vestibular gravitational cues to bodily self-consciousness. In particular we show that the experienced direction of the first-person perspective depends on the integration of visual, vestibular, and tactile signals, as well as on individual differences in idiosyncratic visuo-vestibular strategies.

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Visuospatial viewpoint manipulation during full-body illusion modulates subjective first-person perspective

2014

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viewpoint had no effect on self-identification, but depended on the viewed object and visuotactile synchrony. Selflocation depended on visuospatial viewpoint (first experiment) and visuotactile synchrony (second experiment). Our results show that the visuospatial viewpoint from which the virtual body is seen during FBIs modulates the subjective 1PP and that such viewpoint manipulations contribute to spatial aspects of BSC. We compare the present data with recent data revealing vestibular contributions to the subjective 1PP and discuss the multisensory nature of BSC and the subjective 1PP.

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Neuroscience robotics to investigate multisensory integration and bodily awareness

Cited by 11 publications

References 15 publications

Illusory self-identification with an avatar reduces arousal responses to painful stimuli

Illusory self-identification with an avatar reduces arousal responses to painful stimuli

Multisensory Origin of the Subjective First-Person Perspective: Visual, Tactile, and Vestibular Mechanisms

Visuospatial viewpoint manipulation during full-body illusion modulates subjective first-person perspective

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