Periodic Reporting for period 3 - BodyMemory (How does our brain store bodily experiences?)
Reporting period: 2023-11-01 to 2025-04-30
If we want to understand mental health, we have to understand body memories. This summarizes the key objective of this ERC StG “Body memory”. Body memories can be defined as bodily experiences of the past that are stored in memory and influence behavior. Body memories influence our desires and anxieties, guide decision-making, and influence the formation of psychiatric disorders. Given particularly negative life events can significantly impact on our behavior and wellbeing, we focus on the complex interactions between negative bodily experiences, associated memory processes, the development of bodily symptoms and mental health problems as well as mechanisms of representation and modification. To achieve these goals and to understand the formation, maintenance and plasticity of body memories in humans, we use tactile memory as a model system and employ a combination of full body haptics, VR, mobile Apps, psychophysics and fMRI investigations in humans.
The project is structured into three work packages (WPs). WP1 investigates which neuronal mechanisms underlie the storage and retrieval of tactile experiences as well as memory biases in touch, and uncovers the spatial code of stored tactile experiences. WP2 addresses how stored sensory experiences contribute to psychosomatic symptoms, and where somatic symptoms are represented in the brain. In addition, WP2 clarifies which neuronal representations co-occur with clinically relevant bodily symptoms. WP3 investigates how negative body memories can be “remapped” and which intervention techniques can be used to reduce psychosomatic symptoms. Together, this research impactfully contributes to our understanding of the neuronal mechanisms of body memories, which is essential to develop effective treatment strategies for mental disorders and to preserve or regain mental health.
The project is structured into three work packages (WPs). WP1 investigates which neuronal mechanisms underlie the storage and retrieval of tactile experiences as well as memory biases in touch, and uncovers the spatial code of stored tactile experiences. WP2 addresses how stored sensory experiences contribute to psychosomatic symptoms, and where somatic symptoms are represented in the brain. In addition, WP2 clarifies which neuronal representations co-occur with clinically relevant bodily symptoms. WP3 investigates how negative body memories can be “remapped” and which intervention techniques can be used to reduce psychosomatic symptoms. Together, this research impactfully contributes to our understanding of the neuronal mechanisms of body memories, which is essential to develop effective treatment strategies for mental disorders and to preserve or regain mental health.
WP1: We designed a new experimental paradigm and analysis pipeline for 7T-fMRI-based 2D tactile population receptive field (pRF) modeling in human S1. Our results show that 2D pRFs in S1 are surprisingly large relative to the area we stimulated. This implies that only increasing the mapping area from a portion of the fingertip to entire body parts (e.g. hand, leg, trunk) allows the investigation of tactile memory topography in humans. Based on this insight, we developed a novel experimental setup that combines full-body haptics with visual stimulation, essentially creating a “full-body tactile episode”, which allows us to address critical questions on the topographic architecture of tactile memories. In addition, a series of behavioral studies revealed that human tactile memory representations are biased. This bias reflects a higher weighting of known compared to new tactile experiences and may offer a mechanistic explanation of why negative bodily experiences cannot easily be “overwritten”.
WP2: There are currently no digital tools available that allow a flexible, precise, and continuous characterization of somatic symptoms in everyday life. This is needed, however, in order to identify individual ‘somatic sore points’ and to understand how somatic symptoms are represented in the brain. Together with industrial partners, we developed the novel mobile Application (App) “Somascape” (now available via App Store and Google Play Store), which allows users to report bodily symptoms and associated psychological symptoms on a regular basis, and which allows us to study somatic symptoms in unprecedented detail.
WP3: We developed and published a novel framework of how clinical body memory (CBM) mechanisms contribute to the development of somatic symptoms and impairments in mental health. To explore the plasticity of stored bodily experiences experimentally, we transferred an intervention paradigm that has previously been used in vision research to touch. We found that this intervention modifies the probability to remember a previous bodily experience, hinting towards a critical plasticity mechanism that can be targeted when applied directly after a negative life event.
WP2: There are currently no digital tools available that allow a flexible, precise, and continuous characterization of somatic symptoms in everyday life. This is needed, however, in order to identify individual ‘somatic sore points’ and to understand how somatic symptoms are represented in the brain. Together with industrial partners, we developed the novel mobile Application (App) “Somascape” (now available via App Store and Google Play Store), which allows users to report bodily symptoms and associated psychological symptoms on a regular basis, and which allows us to study somatic symptoms in unprecedented detail.
WP3: We developed and published a novel framework of how clinical body memory (CBM) mechanisms contribute to the development of somatic symptoms and impairments in mental health. To explore the plasticity of stored bodily experiences experimentally, we transferred an intervention paradigm that has previously been used in vision research to touch. We found that this intervention modifies the probability to remember a previous bodily experience, hinting towards a critical plasticity mechanism that can be targeted when applied directly after a negative life event.
WP1: We developed a unique experimental setup that combines full-body haptics, visual stimulation, and fMRI. This will allow us to understand which neuronal networks are responsible for body memory recall, which correlate with emotional involvement, and if body memory networks offer a topographic or an atopographic architecture. This setup will also allow us to clarify the critical question whether or not a potentially topographic memory architecture is specific to touch or also occurs for other sensory modalities (i.e. audition). By systematically altering body position during learning and recall, we will also investigate if tactile memory formation follows a somatotopic encoding scheme (independent of body position) or an external encoding scheme (dependent on body position). These studies will clarify central questions on the neuronal code of human body memories.
WP2: Our novel App “Somascape” provides us with the unique opportunity to identify ‘somatic sore points’ in participants based on their everyday life experiences. By characterizing somatosensory, emotional and memory networks in the same participants using fMRI, we will identify the ‘neuronal fingerprint’ of ‘somatic sore points’ and will clarify how those are related to impairments in mental wellbeing. In addition, the App “Somascape” will allow us to clarify whether or not the presence and severity of ‘somatic sore points’ is associated with the presence and severity of tactile memory biases, providing critical insights on the underlying mechanisms.
WP3: To clarify if memory training can reduce psychosomatic symptoms, we investigate the effect of the “Somascape” App on somatization, mental health, self-awareness, and reflective functioning. Pre and post fMRI investigations allow us the identification of biomarkers that indicate the likelihood of an expected successful intervention. To identify mechanisms of remapping, we will clarify whether the modulatory effect of the think/no-think paradigm can be used to induce memory suppression, and which neuronal networks underlie this effect. In addition, the most efficient metrics of tactile remapping will be explored using the full-body haptic/VR paradigm. Specifically, it will be clarified if changing tactile and/or visual features of the original experience is more efficient in altering body memories. These insights will pave the way towards new interventions to reduce somatic symptoms in participants and patients.
WP2: Our novel App “Somascape” provides us with the unique opportunity to identify ‘somatic sore points’ in participants based on their everyday life experiences. By characterizing somatosensory, emotional and memory networks in the same participants using fMRI, we will identify the ‘neuronal fingerprint’ of ‘somatic sore points’ and will clarify how those are related to impairments in mental wellbeing. In addition, the App “Somascape” will allow us to clarify whether or not the presence and severity of ‘somatic sore points’ is associated with the presence and severity of tactile memory biases, providing critical insights on the underlying mechanisms.
WP3: To clarify if memory training can reduce psychosomatic symptoms, we investigate the effect of the “Somascape” App on somatization, mental health, self-awareness, and reflective functioning. Pre and post fMRI investigations allow us the identification of biomarkers that indicate the likelihood of an expected successful intervention. To identify mechanisms of remapping, we will clarify whether the modulatory effect of the think/no-think paradigm can be used to induce memory suppression, and which neuronal networks underlie this effect. In addition, the most efficient metrics of tactile remapping will be explored using the full-body haptic/VR paradigm. Specifically, it will be clarified if changing tactile and/or visual features of the original experience is more efficient in altering body memories. These insights will pave the way towards new interventions to reduce somatic symptoms in participants and patients.