Cognitive Models of Limb Embodiment in Structurally Varying Bodies: A Theoretical Perspective
Bliek A, Bekrater-Bodmann R, Beckerle P (2021)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2021
Journal
Book Volume: 12
Article Number: 716976
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.716976
Abstract
Using the seminal rubber hand illusion and related paradigms, the last two decades unveiled the multisensory mechanisms underlying the sense of limb embodiment, that is, the cognitive integration of an artificial limb into one's body representation. Since also individuals with amputations can be induced to embody an artificial limb by multimodal sensory stimulation, it can be assumed that the involved computational mechanisms are universal and independent of the perceiver's physical integrity. This is anything but trivial, since experimentally induced embodiment has been related to the embodiment of prostheses in limb amputees, representing a crucial rehabilitative goal with clinical implications. However, until now there is no unified theoretical framework to explain limb embodiment in structurally varying bodies. In the present work, we suggest extensions of the existing Bayesian models on limb embodiment in normally-limbed persons in order to apply them to the specific situation in limb amputees lacking the limb as physical effector. We propose that adjusted weighting of included parameters of a unified modeling framework, rather than qualitatively different model structures for normally-limbed and amputated individuals, is capable of explaining embodiment in structurally varying bodies. Differences in the spatial representation of the close environment (peripersonal space) and the limb (phantom limb awareness) as well as sensorimotor learning processes associated with limb loss and the use of prostheses might be crucial modulators for embodiment of artificial limbs in individuals with limb amputation. We will discuss implications of our extended Bayesian model for basic research and clinical contexts.
Authors with CRIS profile
Adna Bliek
Lehrstuhl für Autonome Systeme und Mechatronik
Philipp Beckerle
Lehrstuhl für Autonome Systeme und Mechatronik
Involved external institutions
Germany (DE)How to cite
APA:
Bliek, A., Bekrater-Bodmann, R., & Beckerle, P. (2021). Cognitive Models of Limb Embodiment in Structurally Varying Bodies: A Theoretical Perspective. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. https://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.716976
MLA:
Bliek, Adna, Robin Bekrater-Bodmann, and Philipp Beckerle. "Cognitive Models of Limb Embodiment in Structurally Varying Bodies: A Theoretical Perspective." Frontiers in Psychology 12 (2021).
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