We conducted ten studies involving more than 400 participants using behavioral, electrophysiological (ECG, MEG), and neuroimaging (fMRI) methods. Among the main achievements was the design and validation of a MEG-compatible closed-loop system that allowed modulation of stimulus presentation: images could be time-locked to specific phases of a participant’s heart cycle, and video playback speed could be modulated in real time based on the participant’s heart rate.
In psychophysiological investigations, images depicting emotional and dance postures were presented during ventricular systole and diastole using the R-peak of the cardiac cycle. Incongruence between exteroceptive (visual) and interoceptive (cardiac) information interfered with affective evaluations. The R-peak also allowed real-time synchronization of heart rate with point-light animations depicting biological and scrambled motion. Participants generally preferred synchronized biological motion when upright, despite a general preference for faster movements.
All studies included measures of cardiac interoceptive accuracy (heartbeat-counting task), psychological questionnaires, and demographic information to leverage variability in gender, expertise, sociocultural background, education, and interoceptive traits. fMRI evidence showed that observing complex movements engages visual and sensorimotor areas (AON) and regions linked to interoceptive processing (insula) and cognitive demand (precuneus), depending on visuomotor expertise. Behavioral ratings from independent evaluators clarified expertise-related effects, suggesting complementary interactions between embodied/sensorimotor and cognitive/visuospatial processes.
The MEG study, based on the closed-loop system, investigated participants observing movements that were either synchronized (same speed) or desynchronized with their own heart rate. This approach will clarify the temporal dynamics of the interplay between the AON and interoceptive network during movement observation, depending on participants’ interoceptive abilities.
The project’s objectives and results were disseminated through international conferences, invited talks, and workshops targeting both academic and non-academic audiences, including professional dancers and educators. The results were also presented in outreach events such as TEDxCremona, where the fellow was invited to give a talk on the neuroscience of dance, and are being shared through open-access publications and repositories in line with the project’s Open Science commitment.
In addition to research outcomes, the project provided substantial training and career development opportunities for the fellow, including hands-on experience in ECG, MEG, and fMRI data collection and analysis, project coordination, and collaboration across international institutions in Europe and Australia. These activities strengthened interdisciplinary expertise bridging cognitive neuroscience, social cognition, and the performing arts and consolidated an international research network that also includes collaborators in the USA and India. The fellow developed transferable skills in supervision, dissemination, and science communication. Key performance indicators include participation as an invited speaker in three international events, initial presentations of the project at three conferences, and four presentations reporting project results. The project led to one peer-reviewed publication and two manuscripts under review, as well as two outreach events. The fellowship had a strong career impact, enabling the fellow to secure a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at ETH Zurich and to initiate a BIAL Foundatio-funded project transferring and applying the methods developed in InteroceptionAction.
