Self-Recognition of One's Own Fall Recruits the Genuine Bodily Crisis-Related Brain Activity

Abstract

While bipedalism is a fundamental evolutionary adaptation thought to be essential for the development of the human brain, the erect body is always an inch or two away from falling. Although the neural mechanism for automatically detecting one's own body instability is an important consideration, there have thus far been few functional neuroimaging studies because of the restrictions placed on participants' movements. Here, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the neural substrate underlying whole body instability, based on the self-recognition paradigm that uses video stimuli consisting of one's own and others' whole bodies depicted in stable and unstable states. Analyses revealed significant activity in the regions which would be activated during genuine unstable bodily states: The right parieto-insular vestibular cortex, inferior frontal junction, posterior insula and parabrachial nucleus. We argue that these right-lateralized cortical and brainstem regions mediate vestibular information processing for detection of vestibular anomalies, defensive motor responding in which the necessary motor responses are automatically prepared/simulated to protect one's own body, and sympathetic activity as a form of alarm response during whole body instability.

Cerebellar activation during a motor task in conversion disorder with motor paralysis: A case report and fMRI study

“…The smoothed data were analyzed using the general linear model framework implemented in SPM8. After the first 2 images of the first session (from a 30 seconds prestimulus interval) were discarded to allow for saturation effects of the BOLD signal, the remaining images were realigned as previously reported . After preprocessing, individual analysis was performed using a general linear regression model.…”

“…were discarded to allow for saturation effects of the BOLD signal, the remaining images were realigned as previously reported. 4 After preprocessing, individual analysis was performed using a general linear regression model. To calculate cerebral activation during dorsiflexion and plantar flexion of the bilateral ankle joints, the motor task and rest states were contrasted.…”

Four Social Brain Regions, Their Dysfunctions, and Sequelae, Extensively Explain Autism Spectrum Disorder Symptomatology

“…TPC subregions that integrate multisensory information (temporoparietal junction, parieto-insular vestibular cortex, inferior parietal lobe, and SMG) variously participate in networks that process the maintenance of body posture [257], and in the planning and performance of skilled movement [258,259,260]. Dysfunction of such TPC subregions likely participates in ASD individuals’ unusual posture, odd gait, clumsiness, and other motor abnormalities.…”