99 research outputs found
Transforming Brain Rehabilitation: Smartphone Solution Underpins Innovative Treatment of Brain Disorders
No full textActive Navigation Training: An Innovative Embodied-Based Training System for Spatial Navigation in Aging
No full textSPACE IN LANGUAGE: EMBODIED EVIDENCE OF SPACE-LANGUAGE INTERACTION
No full textQuesta tesi di dottorato esplora alcuni casi di interazione tra linguaggio e spazio incarnato. Nel primo esperimento ho cercato di replicare l'effetto "linguistic looming" in italiano e inglese. Inaspettatamente, ho trovato un pattern di risultati opposto all’effetto atteso in entrambe le lingue, che mi ha spinto ad approfondire l'impatto delle simulazioni spaziali nei processi linguistici. Nel secondo esperimento ho studiato l'interazione tra simulazione motoria e presa di prospettiva spaziale durante la simulazione del linguaggio d'azione in italiano e inglese. I lettori di frasi con due attori (lettore e un altro attore) possono simulare le azioni di qualcun altro mantenendo la prospettiva spaziale in entrambe le lingue. Nel terzo esperimento ho esaminato se la memoria spaziale predice il riconoscimento delle frasi del linguaggio d'azione di frasi con due attori (lettore e un altro attore). Ho dimostrato che l’abilità nella memoria spaziale influenza la simulazione del linguaggio d'azione durante il riconoscimento. Infine, ho voluto verificare se parole fonologicamente simili/dissimili possono essere rappresentate metaforicamente in memoria attraverso giudizi di distanza spaziale tra le parole. Ho dimostrato che la somiglianza/dissomiglianza fonologica viene rappresentata come vicinanza/distanza spaziale. In sintesi, la tesi dimostra che lo spazio e il linguaggio non sono solo incarnati ma anche interconnessi.The aim of this doctoral thesis is to investigate instances of interaction between embodied language and embodied space. In the first experiment, I attempted to replicate the linguistic looming effect in both Italian and English. However, the so called the linguistic looming effect was not replicated in both languages. This led me to further explore the influence of spatial simulations on linguistic processes. In the second experiment, I examined the interaction between motor simulation and spatial perspective-taking during action language simulation in both Italian and English. I found that readers can simulate someone else's actions by retaining the spatial perspective of a sentence in both languages. In the third experiment, I investigated whether spatial memory performance can predict the recognition of action language sentences. My results showed that spatial memory affects the simulation of action language during recognition. Finally, I aimed to explore whether phonologically similar/dissimilar words can be represented metaphorically in memory through spatial distance judgments. I demonstrated that phonological similarity/dissimilarity is represented in memory as spatial closeness/distance. Overall, this thesis highlights several cases of space-language interaction and demonstrates that space and language are not only embodied but also interconnected
VRBodyMem: A Virtual Full-Body Illusion for the Study of Episodic Memory
No full textDifferent aspects of the bodily self, including visuospatial perspective, self-location, and body ownership, are critical factors for successful retrieval/recognition and vivid and detailed episodic memories.1 However, current research has examined visuospatial perspective taking and body ownership separately, and further research is needed to deepen the interaction between the BSC components.
Based on the above rationale, the VRBodyMem project will develop a framework that manipulates not only visuospatial perspective taking (self-location) during both encoding and retrieval, but also body ownership through synchronous and asynchronous visuotactile stimulation. The project has been developed as part of the Master “Cyberspace, Behavior and E-Therapy (CYBER),” supported by the Universidade Lusófona, the Universitat de Barcelona, and the Université Paris Cité, and one of the partner universities and laboratories, the Catholic University of Milan and the Applied Technology for Neuro-Psychology Laboratory at the IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano. The results will be useful for understanding clinical conditions in which either/both encoding and retrieval are disembodied and for proposing innovative training solutions
A predictive coding approach to psychedelic virtual-induced hallucinations and creative cognition in aging
No full textRecent research has investigated the potential of psychedelic substances in treating various neurological and psychiatric disorders. In particular, there has been a growth in studies concerning the intersection of psychedelics, Virtual Reality (VR), and Cognitive Flexibility (CF). Indeed, the use of immersive technology allows the simulation of the perceptual and cognitive effects of psychedelic substances without the potential risks associated with them. CF is strongly associated with creative cognition, a complex cognitive mechanism involved in creative thinking and associated with the prefrontal cortex and the neural networks supporting executive functions, memory, attention, and spontaneous modes of thought. The Bayesian brain approach, which is rooted in predictive coding, has emerged as a promising framework for understanding the effects of psychedelic hallucinations on cognitive functioning. Psychedelic substances may enhance creativity by inducing a state of CF, allowing for a wider range of associations and possibilities to be explored and increasing openness to experience. A decline in cognitive abilities, including creative processing and divergent thinking, is observed during the aging process. In particular, studies on Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) show poorer performance in executive functions, including CF. The present paper suggests that psychedelic hallucinations induced by VR may help optimize the balance between top-down expectations and bottom-up sensory information. Therefore, enhanced CF and creativity may be crucial during the aging process for maintaining cognitive functions and preventing pathological conditions
Transforming Brain Rehabilitation: Smartphone Solution Underpins Innovative Treatment of Brain Disorders
No full textNeurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and multiple sclerosis result in the death of more than six million people annually according to the World Health Organization. Diagnosing and treating these disorders is a huge challenge because patients are typically offered short and infrequent clinical visits. One solution for health providers is a new platform comprising a smartphone app, cloud computing, and a clinician portal. Known as Mon4t (https://mon4t.com), it was developed by Montfort Brain Monitor in Israel, with support from the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions program
FRAILTY VR: VR for the Rehabilitation of Frailty in the Elderly
No full textFrailty is a preclinical condition that worsens physical health and quality of life. One of the most frequent symptoms of frailty is an increased risk of falling. It is estimated that one out of three elderly people falls at least once a year, with important consequences both for the autonomy of the individual and for the cognitive functioning and quality of life. To reduce this risk, the Italian-supported (Ministry of Health PE-2013-02355948) Frailty VR project is developing an innovative virtual reality (VR) motor rehabilitation program based on an immersive tool: a cycle-ergometer integrated in an immersive VR system (a four-screen CAVE), which allows combining motor and cognitive exercises according to a “dual-task” paradigm
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