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Updated: May 7, 2026
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Characterization of the Sense of Agency over the Actions of Neural-machine Interface-operated Prostheses
Published on: January 7, 2019
Amputation and prosthesis implantation shape body and peripersonal space representations
Elisa Canzoneri1, Marilena Marzolla, Amedeo Amoresano
11] CsrNC, Centro studi e ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Polo Scientifico-Didattico di Cesena, ALMA MATER STUDIORUM, Università di Bologna [2] Dipartimento di Psicologia, ALMA MATER STUDIORUM, Università di Bologna [3].
Scientific Reports
|October 4, 2013
Summary
Prosthetic use in upper limb amputees alters body representation and peripersonal space. Wearing a prosthesis restores perceived limb length and extends peripersonal space to include the prosthetic hand.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Rehabilitation Medicine
Background:
- The adaptation of body representations (BRs) and peripersonal space (PPS) following amputation and prosthesis use remains poorly understood.
- Multimodal sensory integration plays a crucial role in defining the boundaries of the body and its surrounding space.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how upper limb amputation and prosthesis implantation affect body representations (BRs) and peripersonal space (PPS).
- To determine if wearing a prosthesis can restore or modify these representations.
Main Methods:
- Assessed BR using a tactile distance perception task in upper limb amputees.
- Evaluated PPS boundaries using an audio-tactile interaction task.
- Tasks were performed on the intact limb and the residual limb, with and without the prosthesis.
Main Results:
- Without the prosthesis, amputees showed a reduced perception of arm length and a contraction of PPS towards the residual limb.
- Wearing the prosthesis increased the perceived length of the residual limb.
- Prosthesis use extended PPS boundaries to encompass the prosthetic hand, indicating partial replacement of the missing limb.
Conclusions:
- Body representations and peripersonal space are adaptable and significantly influenced by prosthesis use in upper limb amputees.
- Prosthetic devices can modulate sensory perception and spatial awareness, integrating into the individual's body schema.
- Findings highlight the potential for neurorehabilitation strategies to leverage prosthesis-mediated sensory feedback to improve embodiment and spatial perception.
