Objectif The body is ubiquitous in perceptual experience and is central to our sense of self and personal identity. Disordered body representations are central to several serious psychiatric and neurological disorders. Thus, identifying factors which contribute to the formation and maintenance of body representations is crucial for understanding how body representation goes awry in disease, and how it might be corrected by potential novel therapeutic interventions. Several types of sensory signals provide information about the body, making the body the multisensory object, par excellence. Little is known, however, about how information from somatosensation and from vision is integrated to construct the rich body representations we all experience. This project fills this gap in current understanding by determining how the brain builds body representations (BODYBUILDING). A hierarchical model of body representation is proposed, providing a novel theoretical framework for understanding the diversity of body representations and how they interact. The key motivating hypothesis is that body representation is determined by the dialectic between two major cognitive processes. First, from the bottom-up, somatosensation represents the body surface as a mosaic of discrete receptive fields, which become progressively agglomerated into larger and larger units of organisation, a process I call fusion. Second, from the top-down, vision starts out depicting the body as an undifferentiated whole, which is progressively broken into smaller parts, a process I call segmentation. Thus, body representation operates from the bottom-up as a process of fusion of primitive elements into larger complexes, as well as from the top-down as a process of segmentation of an initially undifferentiated whole into more basic parts. This project uses a combination of psychophysical, electrophysiological, and neuroimaging methods to provide fundamental insight into how we come to represent our body. Champ scientifique medical and health sciencesbasic medicineneurologysocial sciencespsychologycognitive psychology Programme(s) FP7-IDEAS-ERC - Specific programme: "Ideas" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013) Thème(s) ERC-SG-SH4 - ERC Starting Grant - The Human Mind and its complexity Appel à propositions ERC-2013-StG Voir d’autres projets de cet appel Régime de financement ERC-SG - ERC Starting Grant Institution d’accueil BIRKBECK COLLEGE - UNIVERSITY OF LONDON Contribution de l’UE € 1 497 715,00 Adresse MALET STREET WC1E 7HX London Royaume-Uni Voir sur la carte Région London Inner London — West Camden and City of London Type d’activité Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Contact administratif Juan Vidal (Mr.) Chercheur principal Matthew Ryan Longo (Dr.) Liens Contacter l’organisation Opens in new window Site web Opens in new window Coût total Aucune donnée Bénéficiaires (1) Trier par ordre alphabétique Trier par contribution de l’UE Tout développer Tout réduire BIRKBECK COLLEGE - UNIVERSITY OF LONDON Royaume-Uni Contribution de l’UE € 1 497 715,00 Adresse MALET STREET WC1E 7HX London Voir sur la carte Région London Inner London — West Camden and City of London Type d’activité Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Contact administratif Juan Vidal (Mr.) Chercheur principal Matthew Ryan Longo (Dr.) Liens Contacter l’organisation Opens in new window Site web Opens in new window Coût total Aucune donnée
