Peripersonal space and body schema: two labels for the same concept?

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Science
• Motor Control

Background:

• Effective environmental interaction, such as object grasping and navigation, requires the brain to process body and environmental information.
• The body schema, a dynamic internal representation of the body, is crucial for motor control and tool use.
• Peripersonal space, the region around the body, serves as an interface for actions toward objects and exhibits plasticity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To define operationally and explore the neuronal underpinnings of the body schema and peripersonal space.
• To investigate the relationship between the body schema and peripersonal space, questioning if they are facets of the same neural construct.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on body schema and peripersonal space.
• Analysis of neuronal mechanisms underlying spatial multisensory processing and body representation.
• Comparative analysis of plasticity in body schema and peripersonal space.

Main Results:

• The body schema is essential for motor control and tool use, involving dynamic neuronal updating.
• Peripersonal space demonstrates plasticity, particularly after tool use, mirroring changes in the body schema.
• Significant overlap exists in the properties and potential neural bases of the body schema and peripersonal space.

Conclusions:

• The body schema and peripersonal space exhibit overlapping plastic properties and functional roles.
• Further research is needed to confirm if the body schema and peripersonal space represent unified or distinct neural systems.
• Understanding these representations is key to comprehending sensorimotor integration and environmental interaction.