16,956 research outputs found
A Sociosemiotic Critique -A Lotmanian perspective
No full textThis issue of Social Semiotics, edited by Anna Maria Lorusso and Franciscu Sedda, explore the usefulness of Lotmanian theory for a critique of contemporary social issues, like social media, politics, migration, audiovisual, memory, art etc
For a semiotics of culture as a critique of culture*
No full textThe text aims at investigating the vitality of Lotman's thought, focusing on its theoretical specificities (compared to other methodological approaches), on its recurring themes, but above all on its analytical, somehow "operational" utility. In particular, the authors reflect on the critical scope of Lotman's thought and on how the traditional unveiling vocation of semiotics finds in Lotman an adequate renewal for the problems posed by the contemporary world (populisms, new media ecosystems, new forms of collective subjectivity...)
In search of the disappeared half of it: 35 years of studies on representational neglect.
No full textOBJECTIVE:
Representational neglect (RN) is a neuropsychological deficit mostly occurring after right brain damage affecting the mental imagery domain. Patients suffering from RN are unable to represent, describe, or explore the contralesional side of their mental images. Since its first description in 1978, RN has been explored using different theoretical frameworks and experimental paradigms. After 35 years, the nature of its behavioral and anatomical correlates is still unclear.
METHOD:
We reviewed studies on RN published from 1978-2013 to systematize available knowledge and to shed light on future research directions.
RESULTS:
The huge variety of tests used to diagnose RN reflects the different clinical features of the deficit, which can compromise space sectors and memory storage, depending on the stimulus to be imagined, even in a dissociated fashion. RN has been frequently described after parietal, temporal, and frontal right brain lesions, even though reliable group studies are scanty.
CONCLUSION:
A number of priorities concerning RN were identified. Future studies might take into account several aspects of RN that are still poorly explored, starting from a more systematized investigation of RN using larger group studies. RESULTS might add pieces to the puzzle of spatial cognition and its neural basis in mental imagery, paving the way for tailored motor and cognitive rehabilitation program
sj-docx-1-qjp-10.1177_17470218231207336 – Supplemental material for Exploring the role of disgust in hands and feet laterality judgement tasks
No full textSupplemental material, sj-docx-1-qjp-10.1177_17470218231207336 for Exploring the role of disgust in hands and feet laterality judgement tasks by Federico Brusa, Mustafa Suphi Erden and Anna Sedda in Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology</p
Computational rehabilitation of neglect:Using state-space models to understand the recovery mechanisms
Full text linkUnilateral spatial neglect is a neuropsychological syndrome often observed in right hemisphere stroke patients. The symptoms differ from subject to subject. A few rehabilitation approaches, e.g. prism adaptation, have demonstrated some effect in reducing the symptoms, but the underlying mechanisms are still largely unclear. Recently, neural models have been proposed to qualitatively describe cortical lesions, the resulting neglect symptoms and the effects of treatment. However, these predictions are qualitative and cannot be used to compare different hypotheses or to interpret symptoms at individual subjects level. Here we propose a computational model of the trial-by-trial dynamics of training-induced recovery from neglect. Neglect is modelled in terms of an impaired internal representation of visual stimuli in the left hemispace. The model assumes that recovery is driven by the mismatch between defective representations of visual stimuli and the corresponding hand positions. The model reproduces the main observations of prism adaptation experiments. Using standard system identification techniques, we fitted the model to data from a rehabilitation trial based on a novel rehabilitation approach based on virtual reality, involving reaching movements within an adaptive environment. Our results suggest that the model can be used to interpret data from individual subjects and to formulate testable hypotheses on the mechanisms of recovery and directions for treatment.</p
Is the desire for amputation related to disturbed emotion processing? A multiple case study analysis in BIID
Full text linkBody integrity identity disorder (BIID) is characterized by the overwhelming desire to amputate one or more healthy limbs or to be paraplegic. Recently, a neurological explanation of this condition has been proposed, in part on the basis of findings that the insular cortex might present structural anomalies in these individuals. While these studies focused on body representation, much less is known about emotional processing. Importantly, emotional impairments have been found in psychiatric disorders, and a psychiatric etiology is still a valid alternative to purely neurological accounts of BIID. In this study, we explored, by means of a computerized experiment, facial emotion recognition and emotional responses to disgusting images in seven individuals with BIID, taking into account their clinical features and investigating in detail disgust processing, strongly linked to insular functioning. We demonstrate that BIID is not characterized by a general emotional impairment; rather, there is a selectively reduced disgust response to violations of the body envelope. Taken together, our results support the need to explore this condition under an interdisciplinary perspective, taking into account also emotional connotations and the social modulation of body representation
Past present and future of neuroscience and law [Passato presente e futuro delle neuroscienze e del diritto]
No full textRecent years have been characterized by a gradual increase in the interaction between Law and Neuroscience, thanks to the advancement of Cognitive Neuroscience and to the advent of neuroimaging tools aimed at exploring the morphological and dynamic aspects of the brain. The fundamental question is to what extent the contribution of Neuroscience can change the behavior of lawyers. In this review, we summarize the current neuroscientific evidences and the expectations of the Law in respect of Neuroscience
PERIPERSONAL SPACE AROUND THE UPPER AND THE LOWER LIMBS
Full text linkPeripersonal space (PPS), the space closely surrounding the body, is typically characterised by enhanced multisensory integration. Neurophysiological and behavioural studies have consistently shown stronger visuo-tactile integration when a visual stimulus is presented close to the tactually stimulate body part in near space (within PPS) than in far space. However, in the majority of these studies tactile stimuli were delivered to the upper limbs, torso and face. Therefore, it is not known whether the space surrounding the lower limbs is characterised by similar multisensory properties. To address this question, we asked participants to complete two versions of the classic visuo-tactile crossmodal congruency task in which they had to perform speeded elevation judgements of tactile stimuli presented to the dorsum of the hand and foot while a simultaneous visual distractor was presented at spatially congruent or incongruent locations either in near or far space. In line with existing evidence, when the tactile target was presented to the hand, the size of the crossmodal congruency effect (CCE) decreased in far as compared to near space, suggesting stronger visuo-tactile multisensory integration within PPS. By contrast, when the tactile target was presented to the foot, the CCE decreased for visual distractors in near than far space. These findings show systematic differences between the representation of PPS around upper and lower limbs, suggesting that the multisensory properties of the different body-part centred representations of PPS are likely to depend on the potential actions performed by the different body parts
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