Vestibular stimulation modifies the body schema

Abstract

Mental body representations are flexible and depend on sensory signals from the body and its surrounding. Clinical observations in amputees, paraplegics and brain-damaged patients suggest a vestibular contribution to the body schema, but studies using well-controlled psychophysical procedures are still lacking. In Experiment 1, we used a tactile distance comparison task between two body segments (hand and forehead). The results showed that objects contacting the hand were judged longer during caloric vestibular stimulation when compared to control thermal stimulation. In Experiment 2, participants located four anatomical landmarks on their left hand by pointing with their right hand. The perceived length and width of the left hand increased during caloric vestibular stimulation with respect to a control stimulation. The results show that the body schema temporarily adjusts as a function of vestibular signals, modifying the internal representation of the hand size. The data provide evidence that vestibular functions are not limited to postural and oculomotor control, and extend the contribution of the vestibular system to bodily cognition. The findings from this study suggest the inclusion of vestibular signals into current models of body representations and bodily self-consciousness.