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ERIC Number: EJ877456
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010-Feb
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0028-3932
EISSN: N/A
More than Skin Deep: Body Representation beyond Primary Somatosensory Cortex
Longo, Matthew R.; Azanon, Elena; Haggard, Patrick
Neuropsychologia, v48 n3 p655-668 Feb 2010
The neural circuits underlying initial sensory processing of somatic information are relatively well understood. In contrast, the processes that go beyond primary somatosensation to create more abstract representations related to the body are less clear. In this review, we focus on two classes of higher-order processing beyond Somatosensation. "Somatoperception" refers to the process of perceiving the body itself, and particularly of ensuring somatic perceptual constancy. We review three key elements of somatoperception: (a) remapping information from the body surface into an egocentric reference frame, (b) "exteroceptive" perception of objects in the external world through their contact with the body, and (c) "interoceptive" percepts about the nature and state of the body itself. "Somatorepresentation", in contrast, refers to the essentially cognitive process of constructing semantic knowledge and attitudes about the body, including: (d) lexical-semantic knowledge about bodies generally and one's own body specifically, (e) configural knowledge about the structure of bodies, (f) emotions and attitudes directed towards one's own body, and (g) the link between physical body and psychological self. We review a wide range of neuropsychological, neuroimaging and neurophysiological data to explore the dissociation between these different aspects of higher somatosensory function. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.)
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A