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"The vestibular system, body temperature and sense of body ownership: a potential link? Insights from a single case
Gerardo Salvato1, Martina Gandola2, Laura Veronelli3
1Department of Brain and Behavioural Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy; NeuroMi, Milan Center for Neuroscience, Milan, Italy; Cognitive Neuropsychology Centre, ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, Milan, Italy.
Abstract:
The vestibular system plays a pivotal role in behavioural and physiological aspects of body representation. If on the one hand, the stimulation of the vestibular system in healthy subjects provokes body representation distortions, accompanied by a decrease of body temperature, on the other hand, in brain-damaged patients it transiently restores body representation disorders. So far, the physiological counterpart of such behavioural amelioration on patients has never been explored. Here we aimed at investigating body temperature variations following Caloric Vestibular Stimulation (CVS), in a patient affected by somatoparaphrenia who regained the sense of body part ownership after the stimulation. Results showed an increase in body temperature after CVS, which also correlated with the temporary restored sense of limb ownership. Our results support the idea that physiological signals are fundamental to maintain a coherent mental representation of the body.