Interacting effects of vision and attention in perceiving spontaneous sensations arising on the hands

Visual input and attention enhance tactile perception. But do they influence the perception of spontaneous sensations (SPS) arising in the absence of any external stimulus? We have investigated this by requiring subject to focus attention on each hand while orienting overtly toward it (convergent focusing) or away (divergent focusing) and to subsequently describe the properties of the SPS they felt. Subjects performed this task under free viewing conditions or while blindfolded. Enhanced perception of SPS was found under convergent focusing and also under free viewing conditions. However, the effects of focusing were different whether visual input was available or not. When visual input was available, SPS were enhanced in the fingers but suppressed in the palm, suggesting that enhancement and suppression operated to refine perception of SPS. When visual input was unavailable, only enhancement was observed, even in areas of the hand where suppressing effects were found under free viewing conditions. These interacting effects between vision and attention were observed exclusively in the left hand. A control experiment failed to evidence whether looking at different parts of the hand modulates SPS. We suggest that vision facilitates perception and, when interacting with attention, it enables better perception by promoting suppression of SPS arising in areas of lower sensitivity that may interfere with processing in more sensitive zones. The results are discussed with respect to mechanisms lateralized in the right cerebral hemisphere, and a role of SPS in the maintenance of a conscious image of the body is suggested.