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Related Experiment Videos

Tools for the body (schema).

Angelo Maravita1, Atsushi Iriki

  • 1Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università di Milano-Bicocca, Piazza dell'Ateneo Nuovo 1, 20126 Milan, Italy. angelo.maravita@unimib.it

Trends in Cognitive Sciences
|December 14, 2004
PubMed
Summary
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Using tools to reach distant objects changes brain networks, updating the body schema to include the tool as an extension of the body. This research explores neural and behavioral evidence for tool inclusion in the body schema.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Motor Control

Background:

  • Tool use extends motor capabilities beyond the physical body.
  • The brain's representation of the body (body schema) is dynamic and adaptable.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how the brain incorporates tools into the body schema.
  • To explore the neural and behavioral mechanisms underlying tool embodiment.

Main Methods:

  • Review of neurophysiological studies (single-neuron recordings in monkeys).
  • Analysis of behavioral data from human participants (normal and brain-damaged).

Main Results:

  • Empirical evidence supports the inclusion of tools within the neural body schema.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Tool use leads to neural network changes reflecting an extended body representation.
  • Behavioral data confirms the integration of tools into body-centric spatial coding.

    • Conclusions:

    • Tools can become integrated into the brain's body schema, effectively extending the body's reach.
    • This phenomenon offers insights into body representation, multisensory integration, and action planning.
    • Understanding tool embodiment has implications for evolutionary and cognitive science.