Behavioural, psychophysiological and neuroimaging investigations on the role of temperature perception in body ownership

Descripción del proyecto

El papel de la temperatura en la conciencia corporal

La conciencia corporal es un proceso multisensorial que implica la integración de señales del exterior, como la visión, con señales internas, como la temperatura, que ofrecen una indicación sobre el estado del interior del organismo. Un grupo de científicos del proyecto financiado con fondos europeos Homeothermic Self está interesado en comprender el mecanismo a través del cual se combinan estas señales en la ínsula anterior del encéfalo para proporcionar una conciencia corporal coherente. A través de la RM funcional, tratarán de obtener datos de neuroimagen de los que carecemos en la actualidad. El proyecto también investigará la contribución específica de la temperatura para la percepción corporal, lo cual tiene importantes implicaciones para las afecciones neurológicas y psiquiátricas que se caracterizan por la falta de conciencia temporal.

Objetivo

HOMEOTHERMIC SELF builds upon well-established behavioural and neuroimaging methodologies of multisensory integration and recent interoceptive theories to investigate the role of temperature perception in body ownership. The maintenance of optimal body temperature is a survival requirement for all homeothermic mammals, including humans. Temperature has been re-defined as an interoceptive modality, since it provides information about the internal state of the body. Interoceptive signals seem to be integrated with exteroceptive signals from the whole body in the anterior insula to give rise to body awareness, but neuroimaging evidence is still sparse. My first objective is to elucidate the role of visuo-thermal, interoceptive congruency to the sense of body ownership by means of a bodily illusion, i.e. Rubber Hand Illusion, RHI. Next, I aim to investigate the specific contribution of temperature signals to the sense of body ownership by eliciting the RHI using heat lamps, which allow to specifically activate thermal skin receptors. Finally, I will use fMRI to reveal the neural mechanisms responsible for the integration of interoceptive and exteroceptive signals. This project can offer a unique insight into the process that gives rise to a coherent multisensory awareness of the body. As such, it will provide fundamental advance in the fields of body representation, interoception, consciousness and multisensory research. In light of my previous clinical experience, I anticipate that the results might have important implications for neurological and psychiatric conditions characterised by lack of body awareness (e.g. right-hemisphere stroke and eating disorders). My research background in interoception and body awareness combined with the excellent environment of Karolinska Institute, and Prof. Ehrsson expertise in multisensory integration and neuroimaging methods, will provide the perfect synergy to enhance my skills and successfully complete the project.