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Cortex; a Journal Devoted To the Study... Jul 2018Our experience of the body is not direct; rather, it is mediated by perceptual information, influenced by internal information, and recalibrated through stored implicit... (Review)
Review
Our experience of the body is not direct; rather, it is mediated by perceptual information, influenced by internal information, and recalibrated through stored implicit and explicit body representation (body memory). This paper presents an overview of the current investigations related to body memory by bringing together recent studies from neuropsychology, neuroscience, and evolutionary and cognitive psychology. To do so, in the paper, I explore the origin of representations of human body to elucidate their developmental process and, in particular, their relationship with more explicit concepts of self. First, it is suggested that our bodily experience is constructed from early development through the continuous integration of sensory and cultural data from six different representations of the body, i.e., the Sentient Body (Minimal Selfhood), the Spatial Body (Self Location), the Active Body (Agency), the Personal Body (Whole Body Ownership - Me); the Objectified Body (Objectified Self - Mine), and the Social Body (Body Satisfaction - Ideal Me). Then, it is suggested that these six representations can be combined in a coherent supramodal representation, i.e. the "body matrix", through a predictive, multisensory processing activated by central, top-down, attentional processes. From an evolutionary perspective, the main goal of the body matrix is to allow the self to protect and extend its boundaries at both the homeostatic and psychological levels. From one perspective, the self extends its boundaries (peripersonal space) through the enactment and recognition of motor schemas. From another perspective, the body matrix, by defining the boundaries of the body, also defines where the self is present, i.e., in the body that is processed by the body matrix as the most likely to be its one, and in the space surrounding it. In the paper I also introduce and discuss the concept of "embodied medicine": the use of advanced technology for altering the body matrix with the goal of improving our health and well-being.
Topics: Body Image; Humans; Illusions; Memory; Personal Space; Self Concept; Space Perception
PubMed: 28826604
DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2017.07.013 -
American Journal of TherapeuticsThe history of medicine has flowed in the wake of knowledge and social perceptions about the body and corporeality. There is no idea of health without reference to the... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
The history of medicine has flowed in the wake of knowledge and social perceptions about the body and corporeality. There is no idea of health without reference to the notion of body (although "health" can have other meanings, figuratively). Considering the same history, the body was the subject of numerous segregations and categorizations due to which it was and is a "social object" and a "political object." In turn, the spatial and cultural framework was the environment and determinant of the medicine development which is not only a science but also an inter-human interactive practice.
AREAS OF UNCERTAINTY
In this article, we will analyze the current social (re)construction of the notions of body and space by referring to the technological and structural changes that are manifested in medicine and society and their ethical implications.
DATA SOURCES
A review of the specialized literature was performed in June-July 2023, using keywords like human enhancement, therapeutic enhancement, transhumanist medicine, ethics from PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, and official documents issued at the international level (World Health Organization, European Commission).
ETHICS AND THERAPEUTIC ADVANCES
This literature review suggests that few practical solutions to human enhancement, both curative and preventive, whether cognitive or physical, have been approached entirely from an ethical point of view. The historical evolution of the concept of human enhancement has led to debates between "transhumanists" and "bioconservatives" depending on how they relate to the improvement of the human condition without or with reticence interventions to improve human capabilities being related to various interventions, from pharmacological, surgical ones to those in the field of genetics, nanomedicine, or cybernetics. In addition to the technical aspects, which are often the major concern of researchers and those applying new technologies, there are also ethical and legislative aspects, to better understand the impact that the dynamics and diffusion of these processes have on the evolution of the human species.
CONCLUSIONS
In interference with these technologies, the body is exposed to possibilities of change and evolution with colossal (expected) social impact that can change norms and values that have been stable for centuries. Social space and place are also proving to be "processes in the making'" for which we need to detect what developments are possible or have already imposed themselves as a trend in the social and medical world.
Topics: Humans; Human Body; Humanism; Therapeutics
PubMed: 37713688
DOI: 10.1097/MJT.0000000000001661 -
Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience Sep 2021The space around our body, the so-called peripersonal space, is where interactions with nearby objects may occur. "Defensive space" and "Reaching space", respectively,...
The space around our body, the so-called peripersonal space, is where interactions with nearby objects may occur. "Defensive space" and "Reaching space", respectively, refer to two opposite poles of interaction between our body and the external environment: protecting the body and performing a goal-directed action. Here, we hypothesized that mechanisms underlying these two action spaces are differentially modulated by the valence of visual stimuli, as stimuli with negative valence are more likely to activate protective actions whereas stimuli with positive valence may activate approaching actions. To test whether such distinction in cognitive/evaluative processing exists between Reaching and Defensive spaces, we measured behavioral responses as well as neural activations over sensorimotor cortex using EEG while participants performed several tasks designed to tap into mechanisms underlying either Defensive (e.g., respond to touch) or Reaching space (e.g., estimate whether object is within reaching distance). During each task, pictures of objects with either positive or negative valence were presented at different distances from the participants' body. We found that Defensive space was smaller for positively compared with negatively valenced visual stimuli. Furthermore, sensorimotor cortex activation (reflected in modulation of beta power) during tactile processing was enhanced when coupled with negatively rather than positively valenced visual stimuli regarding Defensive space. On the contrary, both the EEG and behavioral measures capturing the mechanisms underlying Reaching space did not reveal any modulation by valence. Thus, although valence encoding had differential effects on Reaching and Defensive spaces, the distance of the visual stimulus modulated behavioral measures as well as activity over sensorimotor cortex (reflected in modulations of mu power) in a similar way for both types of spaces. Our results are compatible with the idea that Reaching and Defensive spaces involve the same distance-dependent neural representations of sensory input, whereas task goals and stimulus valence (i.e., contextual information) are implemented at a later processing stage and exert an influence on motor output rather than sensory/space encoding.
Topics: Humans; Personal Space; Space Perception; Touch; Touch Perception
PubMed: 34424990
DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01749 -
Cognitive Processing Sep 2015Recent years have seen a revived interest in how body and space are represented perceptually and how they affect human cognition and behaviour. Various...
Recent years have seen a revived interest in how body and space are represented perceptually and how they affect human cognition and behaviour. Various conceptualisations of body and space have been proposed, alternately stressing neurophysiological, cognitive, or social aspects, but unified approaches are scarce. This short paper will give an overview of different views on body and space. At least three relevant dimensions can be identified in which concepts of body and space may differ: (1) perspective: while we conceptually differentiate between body and space perception, they imply each other and the underlying mechanisms overlap. (2) Level: representations of body and space may emerge at different processing levels, from spinal mechanisms guiding reflex movements to those we construct in our imagination. (3) Affect: representations of body and space are closely linked to affect, but this relationship has not received enough attention yet. Despite many empirical findings, our current views on body and space representations remain ambiguous. One problem may lie in the implicit diversity of "bodies" and "spaces" examined in different studies. Specifications of these concepts may help understand existing results better and are important for guiding future research.
Topics: Body Image; Cognition; Concept Formation; Humans; Psychological Theory; Space Perception
PubMed: 26224274
DOI: 10.1007/s10339-015-0724-7 -
Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology Aug 2005The present manuscript summarizes recent discoveries that were made by studying salt and fluid homeostasis in weightlessness. These data indicate that 1. atrial... (Review)
Review
The present manuscript summarizes recent discoveries that were made by studying salt and fluid homeostasis in weightlessness. These data indicate that 1. atrial natriuretic peptide appears not to play an important role in natriuresis in physiology, 2. the distribution of body fluids appears to be tightly coupled with hunger and thirst regulation, 3. intrathoracic pressure may be an important co-regulator of body fluid homeostasis, 4. a so far unknown low-affinity, high capacity osmotically inactive sodium storage mechanism appears to be present in humans that is acting through sodium/hydrogen exchange on glycosaminoglycans and might explain the pathophysiology, e.g., of salt sensitive hypertension. The surprising and unexpected data underline that weightlessness is an excellent tool to investigate the physiology of our human body: If we knew it, we should be able to predict changes that occur when gravity is absent. But, as data from space demonstrate, we do not.
Topics: Body Fluids; Dizziness; Earth, Planet; Humans; Sodium; Space Flight; Water-Electrolyte Balance; Weightlessness
PubMed: 16101468
DOI: 10.2174/1389201054553662 -
Frontiers in Physiology 2017Space is an extreme environment for the human body, where during long-term missions microgravity and high radiation levels represent major threats to crew health.... (Review)
Review
Space is an extreme environment for the human body, where during long-term missions microgravity and high radiation levels represent major threats to crew health. Intriguingly, space flight (SF) imposes on the body of highly selected, well-trained, and healthy individuals (astronauts and cosmonauts) pathophysiological adaptive changes akin to an accelerated aging process and to some diseases. Such effects, becoming manifest over a time span of weeks (i.e., cardiovascular deconditioning) to months (i.e., loss of bone density and muscle atrophy) of exposure to weightlessness, can be reduced through proper countermeasures during SF and in due time are mostly reversible after landing. Based on these considerations, it is increasingly accepted that SF might provide a mechanistic insight into certain pathophysiological processes, a concept of interest to pre-nosological medicine. In this article, we will review the main stress factors encountered in space and their impact on the human body and will also discuss the possible lessons learned with space exploration in reference to human health on Earth. In fact, this is a productive, cross-fertilized, endeavor in which studies performed on Earth yield countermeasures for protection of space crew health, and space research is translated into health measures for Earth-bound population.
PubMed: 28824446
DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2017.00547 -
Annals of Palliative Medicine Jul 2017Sacred space and spirituality have long been used to heal the mind, body, and spirit. This article illuminates the origins of sacred space and its role as a healing... (Review)
Review
Sacred space and spirituality have long been used to heal the mind, body, and spirit. This article illuminates the origins of sacred space and its role as a healing environment from the first human construct, the burial mound, to the 5th Century BCE Greek healing city of Epidaurus. It then examines the role of spirituality as one of the necessary human institutions for a healthy society, according to the Italian philosopher Giambattista Vico. The conclusion then surveys three contemporary healing environments' architecture, the Department of Veteran Affairs Healing Environment Design Guideline (VAHEDG), and how these sacred spaces mend individual and community ailments.
Topics: Chronic Disease; Environment Design; History, 18th Century; History, Ancient; Humans; Palliative Care; Spiritual Therapies
PubMed: 28724301
DOI: 10.21037/apm.2017.06.09 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2016Architectonic embodiment postulates a bidirectional link between bodily awareness and the architectural environment. The standard size and features of the human body,... (Review)
Review
Architectonic embodiment postulates a bidirectional link between bodily awareness and the architectural environment. The standard size and features of the human body, for instance, are thought to influence the structure of interiors and buildings, as well as their perception and appreciation. Whereas architectural practice and theory, the visual arts and more recently the cognitive sciences have explored this relationship of humans with their crafted environments, many fictional literary works have long experimented with alterations of body-environment scaling. This so-called Gulliver theme - popular in the science-fiction genre but also in children's literature and philosophical satire - reveals, as a recurrent thought-experiment, our preoccupation with proportions and our fascination for the infinitely small and large. Here I provide an overview of the altered scaling theme in literature, including classics such as Voltaire's Micromégas, Swift's Gulliver's Travels, Caroll's Alice, and Matheson's The Shrinking man, closely examining issues relevant to architectonic embodiment such as: bodily, perceptual, cognitive, affective, and social changes related to alterations in body size relative to people, objects and architectural environments. I next provide a taxonomy of the Gulliver theme and highlight its main psychological features, and then proceed to review relevant work from cognitive science. Although fictional alterations of body-environment scaling far outreach current possibilities in experimental research, I argue that the peripetiae and morals outlined in the literary realm, as products of the human imagination, provide a unique window into the folk-psychology of body and space.
PubMed: 27148156
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00556