Bilateral skin temperature drop and warm sensibility decrease following modulation of body part ownership through mirror-box illusion

Our body is central to our sense of self and personal identity, yet it can be manipulated in the laboratory in surprisingly easy ways. Several multisensory illusions have shown the flexibility of the mental representation of our bodies by inducing the illusion of owning an artificial body part or having a body part with altered features. Recently, new studies showed we can embody additional body parts such as a supernumerary finger. Newport et al. recently reported a novel six-finger illusion using conflicting visual and tactile signals induced with the mirror box to create the illusory perception of having a sixth finger for a brief moment. In this study, we aimed to replicate this result and to investigate whether the experience of embodiment of a sixth finger could be prolonged for an extended duration by applying continuous visual–tactile stimulation. Results showed that a continuous illusion of having a sixth finger can be clearly induced. This shows that the six-finger illusion does not reflect merely a momentary confusion due to conflicting multisensory signals but can reflect an enduring representation of a supernumerary finger.

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Comparison with Amount of Gustatory Sense and Nasal Skin Temperature

Journal of Robotics and Mechatronics ◽

10.20965/jrm.2009.p0081 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

pp. 81-87 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Hirotoshi Asano ◽

◽

Tota Mizuno ◽

Akio Nozawa ◽

Hideto Ide ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Skin Temperature ◽

Visual Analog Scale ◽

Temperature Drop ◽

Maximum Temperature ◽

Analog Scale ◽

Gustatory Sense ◽

Gustatory Stimulation

We compared study the amount of gustatory sense and changes in nasal skin temperature. Gustatory stimulation used saltiness and acidity that was four basic tastes. The amount of stimulation was changed and presented it. To determine the amount of gustatory sense, we used in nasal skin temperature as an objective index and the visual analog scale (VAS) as a subjective index. These indexes were compared and evaluated. That maximum temperature displacement, temperature drop, and VAS displacement increase with the amount of stimulation.

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Human wetness perception of fabrics under dynamic skin contact

Textile Research Journal ◽

10.1177/0040517517716905 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 88 (19) ◽

pp. 2155-2168 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Margherita Raccuglia ◽

Kolby Pistak ◽

Christian Heyde ◽

Jianguo Qu ◽

Ningtao Mao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Surface Roughness ◽

High Pressure ◽

Skin Temperature ◽

Surface Texture ◽

Evaluation System ◽

Temperature Drop ◽

Local Skin ◽

Dynamic Conditions ◽

Texture Properties ◽

Local Skin Temperature

This experiment studied textile (surface texture, thickness) and non-textile (local skin temperature changes, stickiness sensation and fabric-to-skin pressure) parameters affecting skin wetness perception under dynamic interactions. Changes in fabric texture sensation between WET and DRY states and their effect on pleasantness were also studied. The surface texture of eight fabric samples, selected for their different structures, was determined from surface roughness measurements using the Kawabata Evaluation System. Sixteen participants assessed fabric wetness perception, at high pressure and low pressure conditions, stickiness, texture and pleasantness sensation on the ventral forearm. Differences in wetness perception (p < 0.05) were not determined by texture properties and/or texture sensation. Stickiness sensation and local skin temperature drop were determined as predictors of wetness perception (r2 = 0.89), and although thickness did not correlate with wetness perception directly, when combined with stickiness sensation it provided a similar predictive power (r2 = 0.86). Greater (p < 0.05) wetness perception responses at high pressure were observed compared with low pressure. Texture sensation affected pleasantness in DRY (r2 = 0.89) and WET (r2 = 0.93). In WET, pleasantness was significantly reduced (p < 0.05) compared to DRY, likely due to the concomitant increase in texture sensation (p < 0.05). In summary, under dynamic conditions, changes in stickiness sensation and wetness perception could not be attributed to fabric texture properties (i.e. surface roughness) measured by the Kawabata Evaluation System. In dynamic conditions thickness or skin temperature drop can predict fabric wetness perception only when including stickiness sensation data.

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Thermal comfort and skin temperature responses to the supplied air from personal air nozzles in aircraft cabins

Indoor and Built Environment ◽

10.1177/1420326x17692853 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 27 (6) ◽

pp. 831-845 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Zhaosong Fang ◽

Hong Liu ◽

Baizhan Li ◽

Yong Cheng

Keyword(s):

Thermal Comfort ◽

Skin Temperature ◽

Thermal Sensation ◽

Body Part ◽

Upper Body ◽

Main Body ◽

Body Parts ◽

Lower Body ◽

Healthy Human ◽

Aircraft Cabins

For investigating the thermal comfort impact of supply air from personal nozzles on body positions of human bodies in aircraft cabins, a mock aircraft cabin with three rows of seats was built to investigate the effect of personal nozzle on thermal comfort of three main body parts, including head, upper body and lower body. In total, 12 tests were performed on 16 volunteers. Every test lasted 3 h and 40 minutes. Simultaneously, volunteers’ responses for both local and overall thermal responses were recorded. Skin temperatures were monitored. The results showed that when cooling the upper body, variation in local thermal sensation, overall thermal sensation and average skin temperature were the most significant responses produced by 16 young healthy human volunteers taking part in the experiment. However, for the airflow sensation, the strongest impact was at the head (including forehead and face), followed by the upper body part (breast, back, shoulder, abdomen) and then the lower body part (buttock, sex organ, thighs, legs and feet). In order to minimize draft discomfort, the air supply from nozzles should be delivered directly to the upper body, which would make the passengers more comfortable and benefit the optimization of the design of the nozzle.

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Seeing the body produces limb-specific modulation of skin temperature

Biology Letters ◽

10.1098/rsbl.2014.0157 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 20140157 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Renata Sadibolova ◽

Matthew R. Longo

Keyword(s):

Skin Temperature ◽

Autonomic Control ◽

The Body ◽

The Other ◽

Thermal Regulation ◽

Somatosensory Processing ◽

Left Hand ◽

Right Hand ◽

Contralateral Hand ◽

Mirror Box

Vision of the body, even when non-informative about stimulation, affects somatosensory processing. We investigated whether seeing the body also modulates autonomic control in the periphery by measuring skin temperature while manipulating vision. Using a mirror box, the skin temperature was measured from left hand dorsum while participants: (i) had the illusion of seeing their left hand, (ii) had the illusion of seeing an object at the same location or (iii) looked directly at their contralateral right hand. Skin temperature of the left hand increased when participants had the illusion of directly seeing that hand but not in the other two view conditions. In experiment 2, participants viewed directly their left or right hand, or the box while we recorded both hand dorsum temperatures. Temperature increased in the viewed hand but not the contralateral hand. These results show that seeing the body produces limb-specific modulation of thermal regulation.

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Behavioral Factors Impact Impairment and Disability Evaluation

Guides Newsletter ◽

10.1001/amaguidesnewsletters.2011.sepoct03 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 16 (5) ◽

pp. 5-7

Author(s):

Lee Ensalada

Keyword(s):

Social History ◽

Standardized Test ◽

Somatoform Disorders ◽

Disability Evaluation ◽

Body Part ◽

Emotional Reactions ◽

Illness Behavior ◽

Validity Testing ◽

Symptom Validity Testing ◽

Disease Pattern

Abstract Illness behavior refers to the ways in which symptoms are perceived, understood, acted upon, and communicated and include facial grimacing, holding or supporting the affected body part, limping, using a cane, and stooping while walking. Illness behavior can be unconscious or conscious: In the former, the person is unaware of the mental processes and content that are significant in determining behavior; conscious illness behavior may be voluntary and conscious (the two are not necessarily associated). The first broad category of inappropriate illness behavior is defensiveness, which is characterized by denial or minimization of symptoms. The second category includes somatoform disorders, factitious disorders, and malingering and is characterized by exaggerating, fabricating, or denying symptoms; minimizing capabilities or positive traits; or misattributing actual deficits to a false cause. Evaluators can detect the presence of inappropriate illness behaviors based on evidence of consistency in the history or examination; the likelihood that the reported symptoms make medical sense and fit a reasonable disease pattern; understanding of the patient's current situation, personal and social history, and emotional predispositions; emotional reactions to symptoms; evaluation of nonphysiological findings; results obtained using standardized test instruments; and tests of dissimulation, such as symptom validity testing. Unsupported and insupportable conclusions regarding inappropriate illness behavior represent substandard practice in view of the importance of these conclusions for the assessment of impairment or disability.

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Letter to the Editor: The Continuing Challenge of Evaluating RSD Impairment and Disability

Guides Newsletter ◽

10.1001/amaguidesnewsletters.1998.sepoct05 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 3 (5) ◽

pp. 8-10

Author(s):

Robert L. Knobler ◽

Charles N. Brooks ◽

Leon H. Ensalada ◽

James B. Talmage ◽

Christopher R. Brigham

Keyword(s):

Disability Evaluation ◽

Body Part ◽

Loss Of Function ◽

Regulatory Requirements ◽

Major Cardiac Event ◽

Clinical Scenarios ◽

Impairment Score ◽

Occupational Activities ◽

The Difference

Abstract The author of the two-part article about evaluating reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) responds to criticisms that a percentage impairment score may not adequately reflect the disability of an individual with RSD. The author highlights the importance of recognizing the difference between impairment and disability in the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment (AMA Guides): impairment is the loss, loss of use, or derangement of any body part, system, or function; disability is a decrease in or the loss or absence of the capacity to meet personal, social, or occupational demands or to meet statutory or regulatory requirements because of an impairment. The disparity between impairment and disability can be encountered in diverse clinical scenarios. For example, a person's ability to resume occupational activities following a major cardiac event depends on medical, social, and psychological factors, but nonmedical factors appear to present the greatest impediment and many persons do not resume work despite significant improvements in functional capacity. A key requirement according to the AMA Guides is objective documentation, and the author agrees that when physicians consider the disability evaluation of people, more issues than those relating to the percentage loss of function should be considered. More study of the relationships among impairment, disability, and quality of life in patients with RSD are required.

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