TY - JOUR
T1 - Rebuilding body–brain interaction from the vagal network in spinal cord injuries
AU - De Martino, Maria Luisa
AU - De Bartolo, Mina
AU - Leemhuis, Erik
AU - Pazzaglia, Mariella
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding: This research was funded by the Italian Ministry of Health, grant number RF-2018-12365682.
Funding Information:
Acknowledgments: This work was supported by the Ania Foundation.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
PY - 2021/8
Y1 - 2021/8
N2 - Spinal cord injuries (SCIs) exert devastating effects on body awareness, leading to the disruption of the transmission of sensory and motor inputs. Researchers have attempted to improve perceived body awareness post-SCI by intervening at the multisensory level, with the integration of somatic sensory and motor signals. However, the contributions of interoceptive-visceral inputs, particularly the potential interaction of motor and interoceptive signals, remain largely unaddressed. The present perspective aims to shed light on the use of interoceptive signals as a significant resource for patients with SCI to experience a complete sense of body awareness. First, we describe intero-ceptive signals as a significant obstacle preventing such patients from experiencing body awareness. Second, we discuss the multi-level mechanisms associated with the homeostatic stability of the body, which creates a unified, coherent experience of one’s self and one’s body, including real-time updates. Body awareness can be enhanced by targeting the vagus nerve function by, for example, applying transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation. This perspective offers a potentially useful insight for researchers and healthcare professionals, allowing them to be better equipped in SCI therapy. This will lead to improved sensory motor and interoceptive signals, a decreased likelihood of developing deafferentation pain, and the successful implementation of modern robotic technologies.
AB - Spinal cord injuries (SCIs) exert devastating effects on body awareness, leading to the disruption of the transmission of sensory and motor inputs. Researchers have attempted to improve perceived body awareness post-SCI by intervening at the multisensory level, with the integration of somatic sensory and motor signals. However, the contributions of interoceptive-visceral inputs, particularly the potential interaction of motor and interoceptive signals, remain largely unaddressed. The present perspective aims to shed light on the use of interoceptive signals as a significant resource for patients with SCI to experience a complete sense of body awareness. First, we describe intero-ceptive signals as a significant obstacle preventing such patients from experiencing body awareness. Second, we discuss the multi-level mechanisms associated with the homeostatic stability of the body, which creates a unified, coherent experience of one’s self and one’s body, including real-time updates. Body awareness can be enhanced by targeting the vagus nerve function by, for example, applying transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation. This perspective offers a potentially useful insight for researchers and healthcare professionals, allowing them to be better equipped in SCI therapy. This will lead to improved sensory motor and interoceptive signals, a decreased likelihood of developing deafferentation pain, and the successful implementation of modern robotic technologies.
KW - Body awareness
KW - Interoceptive signals
KW - Neuroplasticity
KW - Pain
KW - Spinal cord injury
KW - TaVNS
KW - Vagus nerve
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U2 - 10.3390/brainsci11081084
DO - 10.3390/brainsci11081084
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85113525904
VL - 11
JO - Brain Sciences
JF - Brain Sciences
SN - 2076-3425
IS - 8
M1 - 1084
ER -