2,291 research outputs found
Body-stimuli related modulation of cognitive conflict induced by Midfrontal-occipital Ɵ-tACS
No full textMounting evidence from EEG and MEG studies reports that in correspondence of the medial frontal cortex (MFC) is possible to record an electrocortical signature in theta band (Θ) named Midfrontal theta (MFΘ) that is associated with conflict and error processing and appears related to the temporal synchronization of frontal structures underlying the attempt to achieve top-down control. Interestingly, recent EEG studies reported also theta event-related synchronization increases for hands images processing under the occipito-temporal electrodes corresponding to the extrastriate body area (EBA).
In the present single-blind, crossover, controlled, within-subject study, we applied Θ-tACS (6Hz) over the MFC and over EBA while thirty-two healthy participants were asked to perform two variants of the Flanker task with stimuli representing either human-like hands (i.e. Hand-Flanker) or coloured-matched letters (i.e. Letter-Flanker). More specifically, we aimed at investigating whether: (i) the exogenous alternating current delivered in theta rhythm may modulate the long-range communication between neuronal populations underlying conflict monitoring and visuo-perceptual encoding of hand stimuli, and (ii) EBA, as a specialized cortical area involved in processing body-related stimuli, may play also a functional role in conflict processing. Results showed that response times were faster during correct performance when Θ-tACS was delivered during the Hand-Flanker compared to γ-tACS (40Hz, gamma band, control frequency) and sham. Importantly, such an effect did not emerge in the Letter-Flanker indicating that theta oscillations over midfrontal-occipital areas did modulate bodily specific, stimulus content driven aspects of cognitive control
sj-docx-1-aut-10.1177_13623613231218314 – Supplemental material for Exploring social touch in autistic and non-autistic adults via a self-report body-painting task: The role of sex, social context and body area
No full textSupplemental material, sj-docx-1-aut-10.1177_13623613231218314 for Exploring social touch in autistic and non-autistic adults via a self-report body-painting task: The role of sex, social context and body area by Manuel Mello, Martina Fusaro, Salvatore Maria Aglioti and Ilaria Minio-Paluello in Autism</p
The neuroscience of human empathy for pleasure: protocol for a scoping review
No full textAbstract Objective The neuroscience of human empathy for pleasure and positive affect is an emergent, scarcely addressed topic. The main aim of this scoping review is to map the impact of this new research domain on the field of social and affective neuroscience. Introduction Most of the literature on empathy and affect sharing has hitherto focused on negative emotions, with a special focus on pain. However, understanding, sharing, and reacting to others’ pleasures is an evolutionarily and socially important function. Our scoping review addresses this gap in the literature and tries to unify the available information under the empathy for pleasure umbrella. Inclusion criteria This scoping review is intended to cover studies on empathy for positive emotions, pleasant sensory outcomes, and other rewards in healthy individuals and neurological/neuropsychiatric/neurodevelopmental disorders populations. Methods We will perform a systematic search in the Medline (PubMed), Scopus, and Web of Science (WoS) databases. Two authors will independently screen all titles, abstracts, and then full-text articles that meet the inclusion criteria. The year range of interest will be 2000–2022, and only journal articles published in English will be assessed. Data will be extracted and presented in tables and/or graphical representations to synthesize and describe the results. The extracted data will be reported in a comprehensive summary. Results The final manuscript is intended for submission to an indexed journal in late 2023/beginning 2024. Conclusions To our knowledge, the present scoping review will be the first to address the variety and heterogeneity of available evidence on human empathy for pleasure. We ultimately aim at perusing the growing literature on this far-reaching field of study and informing future research. Systematic review registration The neuroscience of human empathy for pleasure: Protocol for a scoping review. https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/W7H6J . (December 27, 2022)
Seeing pain and pleasure on self and others: behavioural and psychophysiological reactivity in immersive virtual reality
No full textStudies have explored behavioral and neural responses to the observation of pain in others. However, much less is known about how taking a physical perspective influences reactivity to the observation of others' pain and pleasure. To explore this issue we devised a novel paradigm in which 24 healthy participants immersed in a virtual reality scenario observed a virtual: needle penetrating (pain), caress (pleasure), or ball touching (neutral) the hand of an avatar seen from a first (1PP)- or a third (3PP)-person perspective. Subjective ratings and physiological responses [skin conductance responses (SCR) and heart rate (HR)] were collected in each trial. All participants reported strong feelings of ownership of the virtual hand only in 1PP. Subjective measures also showed that pain and pleasure were experienced as more salient than neutral. SCR analysis demonstrated higher reactivity in 1PP than in 3PP. Importantly, vicarious pain induced stronger responses with respect to the other conditions in both perspectives. HR analysis revealed equally lower activity during pain and pleasure with respect to neutral. SCR may reflect egocentric perspective, and HR may merely index general arousal. The results suggest that behavioral and physiological indexes of reactivity to seeing others' pain and pleasure were qualitatively similar in 1PP and 3PP. Our paradigm indicates that virtual reality can be used to study vicarious sensation of pain and pleasure without actually delivering any stimulus to participants' real body and to explore behavioral and physiological reactivity when they observe pain and pleasure from ego- and allocentric perspectives
Data for- Heterosexual, gay, and lesbian people’s reactivity to virtual caresses on their embodied avatars’ taboo zones
No full textEmbodying an artificial agent through immersive virtual reality (IVR) may lead to feeling vicariously somatosensory stimuli on one’s body which are in fact never delivered. To explore whether vicarious touch in IVR reflects the basic individual and social features of real-life interpersonal interactions we tested heterosexual men/women and gay men/lesbian women reacting subjectively and physiologically to the observation of a gender-matched virtual body being touched on intimate, taboo zones (like genitalia) by male and female avatars. All participants rated as most erogenous caresses on their embodied avatar taboo zones. Crucially, heterosexual men/women and gay men/lesbian women rated as most erogenous taboo touches delivered by their opposite and same gender avatar, respectively. Skin conductance was maximal when taboo touches were delivered by female avatars. Our study shows that IVR may trigger realistic experiences and ultimately allow the direct exploration of sensitive societal and individual issues that can otherwise be explored only through imagination
Commentary: Decoding the Charitable Brain: Empathy, Perspective Taking, and Attention Shifts Differentially Predict Altruistic Giving
No full textNeuromodulation of parietal and motor activity affects motor planning and execution
No full textTranscranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive tool, which effectively modulates behavior, and related brain activity. When applied to the primary motor cortex (M1), tDCS affects motor function, enhancing or decreasing performance of both healthy participants and brain-damaged patients. Beyond M1, the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) is also crucially involved in controlling and guiding movement. Therefore, we explored whether the modulation of cortical excitability within PPC can also affect hand motor function in healthy right-handed participants. In Experiment 1, anodal tDCS (2 mA, 10 min) was applied to PPC and to M1 of both hemispheres. Skilled motor function of the non-dominant left hand, measured using the Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function Test (JTT), improved after anodal tDCS of the right, contralateral M1, as well as after the anodal stimulation of the left, ipsilateral PPC. Conversely, in Experiment 2, cathodal tDCS of the left PPC, or of the right M1, reduced motor performance of the left hand. Finally, Experiment 3 shows that the anodal tDCS of the left PPC selectively facilitated action planning, while the anodal tDCS of the right M1 modulated action execution only. This evidence shows that motor improvement induced by left parietal and right motor stimulations relies on substantial different mechanisms, opening up novel perspectives in the neurorehabilitation of stroke patients with motor and apraxic disorders
Heterosexual, gay, and lesbian people’s reactivity to virtual caresses on their embodied avatars’ taboo zones
No full textEmbodying an artificial agent through immersive virtual reality (IVR) may lead to feeling vicariously somatosensory stimuli on one’s body which are in fact never delivered. To explore whether vicarious touch in IVR reflects the basic individual and social features of real-life interpersonal interactions we tested heterosexual men/women and gay men/lesbian women reacting subjectively and physiologically to the observation of a gender-matched virtual body being touched on intimate taboo zones (like genitalia) by male and female avatars. All participants rated as most erogenous caresses on their embodied avatar taboo zones. Crucially, heterosexual men/women and gay men/lesbian women rated as most erogenous taboo touches delivered by their opposite and same gender avatar, respectively. Skin conductance was maximal when taboo touches were delivered by female avatars. Our study shows that IVR may trigger realistic experiences and ultimately allow the direct exploration of sensitive societal and individual issues that can otherwise be explored only through imagination
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