scholarly journals Capturing the dynamics of peripersonal space by integrating sound propagation properties and expectancy effects

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lise Hobeika ◽  
Marine Taffou ◽  
Thibaut Carpentier ◽  
Olivier Warusfel ◽  
Isabelle Viaud-Delmon

AbstractHighlightsLogarithmically distributed auditory distances provides an apt granularity of PPSMeasuring expectation helps to interpret behavioral impact of audiotactile integrationTactile RTs follows a logarithmic decrease due to audiotactile integrationPeripersonal space is better characterized and quantified with this refinementBackgroundHumans perceive near space and far space differently. Peripersonal space, i.e. the space directly surrounding the body, is often studied using paradigms based on auditory-tactile integration. In these paradigms, reaction time to a tactile stimulus is measured in the presence of a concurrent auditory looming stimulus.New MethodWe propose here to refine the experimental procedure considering sound propagation properties in order to improve granularity and relevance of auditory-tactile integration measures. We used a logarithmic distribution of distances for this purpose. We also want to disentangle behavioral contributions of the targeted audiotactile integration mechanisms from expectancy effects. To this aim, we added to the protocol a baseline with a fixed sound distance.ResultsExpectation contributed significantly to overall behavioral responses. Subtracting it isolated the audiotactile effect due to the stimulus proximity. This revealed that audiotactile integration effects have to be tested on a logarithmic scale of distances, and that they follow a linear variation on this scale.Comparison with Existing Method(s)The granularity of the current method is more relevant, providing higher spatial resolution in the vicinity of the body. Furthermore, most of the existing methods propose a sigmoid fitting, which rests on the intuitive framework that PPS is an in-or-out zone. Our results suggest that behavioral effects follow a logarithmic decrease, thus a response graduated in space.ConclusionsThe proposed protocol design and method of analysis contribute to refine the experimental investigation of the factors influencing and modifying multisensory integration phenomena in the space surrounding the body.

2020 ◽  
Vol 332 ◽  
pp. 108534 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lise Hobeika ◽  
Marine Taffou ◽  
Thibaut Carpentier ◽  
Olivier Warusfel ◽  
Isabelle Viaud-Delmon

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justine Cléry ◽  
Olivier Guipponi ◽  
Soline Odouard ◽  
Claire Wardak ◽  
Suliann Ben Hamed

AbstractWhile extra-personal space is often erroneously considered as a unique entity, early neuropsychological studies report a dissociation between near and far space processing both in humans and in monkeys. Here, we use functional MRI in a naturalistic 3D environment to describe the non-human primate near and far space cortical networks. We describe the co-occurrence of two extended functional networks respectively dedicated to near and far space processing. Specifically, far space processing involves occipital, temporal, parietal, posterior cingulate as well as orbitofrontal regions not activated by near space, possibly subserving the processing of the shape and identity of objects. In contrast, near space processing involves temporal, parietal and prefrontal regions not activated by far space, possibly subserving the preparation of an arm/hand mediated action in this proximal space. Interestingly, this network also involves somatosensory regions, suggesting a cross-modal anticipation of touch by a nearby object. Last, we also describe cortical regions that process both far and near space with a preference for one or the other. This suggests a continuous encoding of relative distance to the body, in the form of a far-to-near gradient. We propose that these cortical gradients in space representation subserve the physically delineable peripersonal spaces described in numerous psychology and psychophysics studies.HighlightsNear space processing involves temporal, parietal and prefrontal regions.Far space activates occipital, temporal, parietal, cingulate & orbitofrontal areas.Most regions process both far & near space, with a preference for one or the other.Far-to-near gradient may subserve behavioral changes in peripersonal space size.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daisuke Mine ◽  
Kazuhiko Yokosawa

The space surrounding our body is called peripersonal space (PPS). It has been reported that visuo-tactile facilitation occurs more strongly within PPS than outside PPS. Furthermore, previous research has revealed several methods by which PPS can be extended. The present study provides the first behavioral evidence of the transfer of PPS in a virtual environment by a novel technique. PPS representation was investigated using a remote-controlled hand avatar presented far from their body in a virtual environment. Participants showed strongest visuo-tactile facilitation at the far space around the remote hand and no facilitation at the near space around the real hand, suggesting that PPS transfers from near the body to the space around the hand avatar. The present results extend previous findings of the plasticity of PPS and demonstrate flexibility of PPS representation beyond the physical and anatomical limits of body representation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marine Taffou ◽  
Clara Suied ◽  
Isabelle Viaud-Delmon

AbstractAuditory roughness elicits aversion, and higher activation in cerebral areas involved in threat processing, but its link with defensive behavior is unknown. Defensive behaviors are triggered by intrusions into the space immediately surrounding the body, called peripersonal space (PPS). Integrating multisensory information in PPS is crucial to assure the protection of the body. Here, we assessed the behavioral effects of roughness on auditory-tactile integration, which reflects the monitoring of this multisensory region of space. Healthy human participants had to detect as fast as possible a tactile stimulation delivered on their hand while an irrelevant sound was approaching them from the rear hemifield. The sound was either a simple harmonic sound or a rough sound, processed through binaural rendering so that the virtual sound source was looming towards participants. The rough sound speeded tactile reaction times at a farther distance from the body than the non-rough sound. This indicates that PPS, as estimated here via auditory-tactile integration, is sensitive to auditory roughness. Auditory roughness modifies the behavioral relevance of simple auditory events in relation to the body. Even without emotional or social contextual information, auditory roughness constitutes an innate threat cue that elicits defensive responses.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Jane Masson ◽  
Donné van der Westhuizen ◽  
Jean-Paul Noel ◽  
Adala Michelle Prevost ◽  
Jack van Honk ◽  
...  

Peripersonal space (PPS) is the space immediately surrounding the body, conceptualised as a sensory-motor interface between body and environment. PPS size differs between individuals and contexts, with intrapersonal traits and states, as well as social factors having a determining role on the size of PPS. Testosterone plays an important role in regulating social-motivational behaviour and is known to enhance dominance motivation in an implicit and unconscious manner. We investigated whether the dominance-enhancing effects of testosterone reflect as changes in the representation of PPS in a within-subjects testosterone administration study in women (N=19). Participants performed a visuo-tactile integration task in a mixed-reality setup. Results indicated that the administration of testosterone caused a significant enlargement of participants’ PPS, suggesting that testosterone caused participants to implicitly appropriate a larger space as their own. These findings suggest that the dominance-enhancing effects of testosterone reflect at the level of sensory-motor processing in PPS.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Flavia Cardini ◽  
Natalie Fatemi-Ghomi ◽  
Katarzyna Gajewska-Knapik ◽  
Victoria Gooch ◽  
Jane Elizabeth Aspell

Our ability to maintain a coherent bodily self despite continuous changes within and outside our body relies on the highly flexible multisensory representation of the body, and of the space surrounding it: the peripersonal space (PPS). The aim of our study was to investigate whether during pregnancy - when extremely rapid changes in body size and shape occur - a likewise rapid plastic reorganization of the neural representation of the PPS occurs. We used an audio-tactile integration task to measure the PPS boundary at different stages of pregnancy. We found that in the second trimester of pregnancy and postpartum women did not show differences in their PPS size as compared to the control group (non-pregnant women). However, in the third trimester the PPS was larger than the controls' PPS and the shift between representation of near and far space was more gradual. We therefore conclude that during pregnancy the brain adapts to the sudden bodily changes, by expanding the representation of the space around the body. This may represent a mechanism to protect the vulnerable abdomen from injury from surrounding objects.


Author(s):  
Samuel B. Hunley ◽  
Arwen M. Marker ◽  
Stella F. Lourenco

Abstract. The current study investigated individual differences in the flexibility of peripersonal space (i.e., representational space near the body), specifically in relation to trait claustrophobic fear (i.e., fear of suffocating or being physically restricted). Participants completed a line bisection task with either a laser pointer (Laser condition), allowing for a baseline measure of the size of one’s peripersonal space, or a stick (Stick condition), which produces expansion of one’s peripersonal space. Our results revealed that individuals high in claustrophobic fear had larger peripersonal spaces than those lower in claustrophobic fear, replicating previous research. We also found that, whereas individuals low in claustrophobic fear demonstrated the expected expansion of peripersonal space in the Stick condition, individuals high in claustrophobic fear showed less expansion, suggesting decreased flexibility. We discuss these findings in relation to the defensive function of peripersonal space and reduced attentional flexibility associated with trait anxieties.


Sensors ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 3462 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chunyu Qiu ◽  
Shuqing Ma ◽  
Yu Chen ◽  
Zhou Meng ◽  
Jianfei Wang

A method is developed in this paper to calculate the spatial gain of a vertical line array when the plane-wave assumption is not applicable and when the oceanic ambient noise is correlated. The proposed optimal array gain (OAG), which can evaluate the array’s performance and effectively guide its deployment, can be given by an equation in which the noise gain (NG) is subtracted from the signal gain (SG); hence, a high SG and a negative NG can enhance the performance of the array. OAGs and SGs with different array locations are simulated and analyzed based on the sound propagation properties of the direct-arrival zone (DAZ) and the reliable acoustic path (RAP) using ray theory. SG and NG are related to the correlation coefficients of the signals and noise, respectively, and the vertical correlation is determined by the structures of the multipath arrivals. The SG in the DAZ is always high because there is little difference between the multipath waves, while the SG in the RAP changes with the source-receiver range because of the variety of structure in the multiple arrivals. The SG under different conditions is simulated in this work. The “dual peak” structure can often be observed in the vertical directionality pattern of the noise because of the presence of bottom reflection and deep sound channel. When the directions of the signal and noise are close, the conventional beamformer will enhance the correlation of not only the signals but also the noise; thus, the directivity of the signals and noise are analyzed. Under the condition of having a typical sound speed profile, the OAG in some areas of the DAZ and RAP can achieve high values and even exceed the ideal gain of horizontal line array 10 logN dB, while, in some other areas, it will be lowered because of the influence of the NG. The proposed method of gain analysis can provide analysis methods for vertical arrays in the deep ocean under many conditions with references. The theory and simulation are tested by experimental data.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Axel Davies Vittersø ◽  
Monika Halicka ◽  
Gavin Buckingham ◽  
Michael J Proulx ◽  
Mark Wilson ◽  
...  

Representations of the body and peripersonal space can be distorted for people with some chronic pain conditions. Experimental pain induction can give rise to similar, but transient distortions in healthy individuals. However, spatial and bodily representations are dynamic, and constantly update as we interact with objects in our environment. It is unclear whether induced pain disrupts the mechanisms involved in updating these representations. In the present study, we sought to investigate the effect of induced pain on the updating of peripersonal space and body representations during and following tool-use. We compared performance under three conditions (pain, active placebo, neutral) on a visuotactile crossmodal congruency task and a tactile distance judgement task to measure updating of peripersonal space and body representations, respectively. We induced pain by applying 1% capsaicin cream to the arm, and for placebo we used a gel that induced non-painful warming. Consistent with previous findings, the difference in crossmodal interference from visual distractors in the same compared to opposite visual field to the tactile target was less when tools were crossed than uncrossed. This suggests an extension of peripersonal space to incorporate the tips of the tools. Also consistent with previous findings, estimates of the felt distance between two points (tactile distance judgements) decreased after active tool-use. In contrast to our predictions, however, we found no evidence that pain interfered with performance on either task when compared to the control conditions. This suggests that the updating of peripersonal space and body representations is not disrupted by induced pain. Therefore, acute pain does not account for the distorted representations of the body and peripersonal space that can endure in people with chronic pain conditions.


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