Objective
How do we recognize that our limbs are part of our own body, and why do we feel that one’s self is located inside the body? These fundamental questions have been discussed in theology, philosophy and psychology for millennia. The aim of my ground-breaking research programme is to identify the neuronal mechanisms that produce the sense of ownership of the body, and the processes responsible for the feeling that the self is located inside the physical body. To solve these questions I will adopt an inter-disciplinary approach using state-of-the-art methods from the fields of imaging neuroscience, experimental psychology, computer science and robotics. My first hypothesis is that the mechanism for body ownership is the integration of information from different sensory modalities (vision, touch and muscle sense) in multi-sensory brain areas (ventral premotor and intraparietal cortex). My second hypothesis is that the sense of where you are located in the environment is mediated by allocentric spatial representations in medial temporal lobes. To test this, I will use perceptual illusions and virtual-reality techniques that allow me to manipulate body ownership and the perceived location of the self, in conjunction with non-invasive recordings of brain activity in healthy humans. Functional magnetic resonance imaging and electroencephalography will be used to identify the neuronal correlates of ownership and ‘in-body experiences’, while transcranial magnetic stimulation will be used to examine the causal relationship between neural activity and ownership. It is no overstatement to say that my pioneering work could define a new sub-field in cognitive neuroscience dealing with how the brain represents the self. These basic scientific discoveries will be used in new frontier applications. For example, the development of a prosthetic limb that feels just like a real limb, and a method of controlling humanoid robots by the illusion of ‘becoming the robot’.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences neurobiology cognitive neuroscience
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering electronic engineering robotics autonomous robots
- social sciences psychology
- natural sciences computer and information sciences
- engineering and technology medical engineering diagnostic imaging magnetic resonance imaging
You need to log in or register to use this function
We are sorry... an unexpected error occurred during execution.
You need to be authenticated. Your session might have expired.
Thank you for your feedback. You will soon receive an email to confirm the submission. If you have selected to be notified about the reporting status, you will also be contacted when the reporting status will change.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
ERC-2007-StG
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Host institution
171 77 STOCKHOLM
Sweden
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.