Altered bodily self-consciousness in multiple sclerosis
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Updated: Feb 23, 2026

Observing the Transformation of Bodily Self-consciousness in the Squeeze-machine Experiment
Published on: March 8, 2019
Elena Nava1, Flavia Mattioli2, Chiara Gamberini1
1Department of Psychology & NeuroMi-Milan Center for Neuroscience, University of Milan-Bicocca, Italy.
Abstract:
In this study, we assessed the impact of multiple sclerosis (MS) on bodily self-consciousness (BSC) using the Rubber Hand Illusion. Patients with MS showed a dissociation between body ownership and self-location: they did report an explicit ownership of the rubber hand, but they did not point towards it, showing a defective ability of localizing body parts in space. This evidence indicates that MS may affect selective components of BSC, whose impairment may contribute to, and even worsen, the functional disability of MS.
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