Proprioception in Action: A Matter of Ecological and Social Interaction

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to provide a theoretical and formal framework to understand how the proprioceptive and kinesthetic system learns about body position and possibilities for movement in ongoing action and interaction. Whereas most weak embodiment accounts of proprioception focus on positionalist descriptions or on its role as a source of parameters for internal motor control, we argue that these aspects are insufficient to understand how proprioception is integrated into an active organized system in continuous and dynamic interaction with the environment. Our strong embodiment thesis is that one of the main theoretical principles to understand proprioception, as a perceptual experience within concrete situations, is the coupling with kinesthesia and its relational constitution—self, ecological, and social. In our view, these aspects are underdeveloped in current accounts, and an enactive sensorimotor theory enriched with phenomenological descriptions may provide an alternative path toward explaining this skilled experience. Following O'Regan and Noë (2001) sensorimotor contingencies conceptualization, we introduce three distinct notions of proprioceptive kinesthetic-sensorimotor contingencies (PK-SMCs), which we describe conceptually and formally considering three varieties of perceptual experience in action: PK-SMCs-self, PK-SMCs-self-environment, and PK-SMC-self-other. As a proof of concept of our proposal, we developed a minimal PK model to discuss these elements in detail and show their explanatory value as important guides to understand the proprioceptive/kinesthetic system. Finally, we also highlight that there is an opportunity to develop enactive sensorimotor theory in new directions, creating a bridge between the varieties of experiences of oneself and learning skills.

Multiple functions of the angular gyrus at high temporal resolution

“…(Stein and Walsh, 1997)). These rapid processes are important to enable an active interaction between self and external environment (Gapenne, 2014;Gonzalez-Grandon et al, 2020). Indeed, this early process involving the AG, and other brain regions, is vital to ensure apposite exchanges between self and external environment when making sense of a given stimulus, condition, thought or action.…”

Cuerpos conscientes y afectos regulados: la interocepción en la educación socioemocional

“…La cognición está corporizada, situada y enactiva -"4e", por sus siglas en inglés embodied, enactive, extended, embedded or ecologicalcuando depende de las características del cuerpo del agente y de su interacción con el entorno físico y social. Dicho con otras palabras, cuando los aspectos corporales, motores e interactivos que van más allá del cerebro juegan un rol constitutivo de los procesos cognitivos (González-Grandón et al, 2019;González-Grandón et al, 2021). Esta visión contrasta con las perspectivas dominantes y más tradicionales de las ciencias cognitivas, que han considerado al cuerpo y a su interacción con el ambiente, como consecuencias secundarias de los procesamientos mentales y del aprendizaje.…”

Peripersonal encoding of forelimb proprioception in the mouse somatosensory cortex

“…tactile) stimuli and the few studies in primates on limb proprioception examined cortical responses mainly to active reaching movements (Chowdhury et al, 2020; Goodman et al, 2019; London and Miller, 2013; Prud’homme and Kalaska, 1994). The sensation of an active limb movement is however strongly dominated by motor signals (González-Grandón et al, 2021; Proske and Gandevia, 2012). During muscle contractions, gamma motor neurons tune the sensitivity of both muscle and joint proprioceptors in a manner that is still not fully understood (Dimitriou and Edin, 2008a; Dimitriou and Edin, 2008b).…”

“…tactile) stimuli and the few studies in primates on limb proprioception examined cortical responses mainly to active reaching movements [3][4][5][6] . The sensation of an active limb movement is however strongly dominated by motor signals 7,8 . During muscle contractions, gamma motor neurons tune the sensitivity of both muscle and joint proprioceptors in a manner that is still not fully understood 9,10 .…”