Abstract
Exteroceptive and interoceptive signals shape and sustain the bodily self-awareness. The existence of a set of brain areas, supporting the integration of information coming from the inside and the outside of the body in building the sense of bodily self-awareness has been postulated, yet the evidence remains limited, a matter of discussion never assessed quantitatively. With the aim of unrevealing where in the brain interoceptive and exteroceptive signals may converge, we performed a meta-analysis on imaging studies of the sense of body ownership, modulated by external visuotactile stimulation, and studies on interoception, which involves the self-awareness for internal bodily sensations. Using a multilevel kernel density analysis, we found that processing of stimuli of the two domains converges primarily in the supramarginal gyrus bilaterally. Furthermore, we found a right-lateralized set of areas, including the precentral and postcentral, and superior temporal gyri. We discuss these results and propose this set of areas as ideal candidates to match multiple body-related signals contributing to the creation of a multidimensional representation of the bodily self.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 401-418 |
Number of pages | 18 |
Journal | Human Brain Mapping |
Volume | 41 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Feb 2020 |
Keywords
- bodily self
- body awareness
- body ownership
- interoception
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Anatomy
- Radiological and Ultrasound Technology
- Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging
- Neurology
- Clinical Neurology